Roll Call: All members present
Nancy Strohschein (Chair)
Joe Bollech
Bob Janda (Township Board Rep)
Jay Loman (Zoning Board of Appeals Chair)
Donna Preston
John Salisbury
This is a Special Meeting of the Arvon Township Planning Commission, which includes a Public Hearing, organized to consider the application for a special use permit for Four Winds Property and Rodrigo and Beth Oyarzun to erect geodesic domes on their properties on Point Abbaye to be used as short-term rentals.
Recognition of visitors: 21 community members signed in on the attendance log. Of these, 2 indicated they wanted to address the Commission and/or Applicant.
Pledge of Allegiance: Done
Comments on agenda: Nancy Strohschein described the activities for each item on the agenda. No comments were made on agenda business.
Approval of agenda: Motion: Bob Janda, Second: John Salisbury. All approved. Agenda approved.
Approval of minutes from April 10, 2025 Planning Commission Quarterly meeting: Motion: Bob Janda,
Second: John Salisbury. All approved. Minutes approved.
Public comments: None at this time.
- Purpose of special meeting and public hearing
Nancy Strohschein reviewed the purpose of the meeting and public hearing. The Planning Commission (PC) is considering an application for a special use on two lots on Liimatainen Road, which are owned by Rodrigo and Beth Oyarzun or Four Winds Properties, LLC. Because there are 2 separate lots with different owners, and the status of some of the documentation differs between the lots, each lot will be considered separately
for purposes of this hearing.
- Lot 11R is noted as Unit 1 by the owners. This lot will be tracked as application 2025-01.
- Lot 10R is noted as Unit 2 by the owners. This lot will be tracked as application 2025-02.
Action on the applications is not guaranteed at this meeting. The PC may approve one or both applications as presented, may reject one or both applications as presented, may ask for further information and delay a decision tonight, or may approve one or both applications with conditions. Any decision made will be made based on Arvon Township’s Zoning Ordinance, which was adopted in December, 2024. Of note in this ordinance for decision making are these specific articles: - Article 2 Definitions.
o Short Term Rental
o Geodesic Dome
o RR District
o Resort - Article 5 Recreational Residential (RR) District
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- Article 10 Schedule of Regulations
- Article 11 Uses Subject to Special Considerations
o 1102 Basis of Determinations
The Chairperson stated that the application is for building a geodesic dome on each of 2 lots, each to be used as a short-term rental (STR). The decision will be made on criteria for the dome and STR. Any future plans the owners may have are not part of this application and determination.
- Review of application by property owners Rodrigo Oyarzun was present with copies of his applications, survey, geodesic dome specifics and correspondence with the Western UP Health Department (WUPHD) from 2022. This information was received by the PC Chairperson on May 7, 2025 at 10:36 PM and send to the PC members on May 8, the
day of this hearing, at noon. Rodrigo was advised that the PC did not have enough time to thoroughly review the new applications prior to the meeting. The PC used applications submitted on April 21 to prepare for the hearing. Rodrigo reviewed the changes in the application since the meeting he attended on April 10, 2025 for his first presentation. The main changes are:
- Both lots will now be set up with a septic field instead of a vaulted privy. Permission for this on lot 10R was granted by WUPHD in 2022 and needs to be updated this year before construction. Lot 11R has not been evaluated by WUPHD and this will need to be done.
- Rodrigo has decided to go with a different manufacturer for the geodesic domes. The new company is Pacific Domes from Ashland, Oregon.
- Rodrigo read his written comments on the Basis of Determinations, General Standards, in section 1102 of the Zoning Ordinance, which was included in the updated application.
- Questions on applications and plans from members of the public
The Public Hearing portion of the meeting was opened at 6:25 PM. Pat Janik and Nancy Kurkowski signed in indicating they would like to address the PC and applicant. Other community members also asked questions and made comments. The Public Hearing portion of the meeting was concluded at 7:10 PM. Pat Janik, Resident of Vicks Rd: - Why does the marketing done on the website and Facebook not match the current request?
RO: He worked with a marketing/website developer and it just went a little bigger than he planned. This was not his intent. - Residents of Vicks Rd do not want to connect to Liimatainen Rd.
RO: Agrees. He does not want traffic on his road either. - Will there be ATV trails?
RO: No plans for ATV trails so the parcels are kept peaceful and quiet. - Are there limits on the number of people allowed in each rental?
RO: Yes, per number of beds. - Will there be curfews for quiet times?
RO: No. He does not plan to enforce curfews but expects noise from fireworks and music to be to a minimum. - Are there any restrictions on the deed and land contract for the property purchased from Faulks as to clear cutting, campgrounds and cabin rentals?
RO: Not aware of any restrictions but he does not plan to clearcut. Other community members present state there are no restrictions on other parcels sold by Faulks.
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- Are there currently investor partners?
RO: Not at this time but it is possible in the future. - The marketing asks for membership fees and deposits. How are these being used? Will they be refunded if the reservations cannot be kept due to delays in building?
RO: Yes, there will be full refunds for reservations if reservations cannot be met. The membership fees were part of the marketing to see if there would be interest. The “pre-sale” membership fees help finance the work and were used to gauge interest in the idea. - Will there be a host on site 24/7 when there are guests?
RO: Yes - Concerns about insurance and fire/rescue services
RO: Acknowledged - Concerns about success of a floating dock
RO: Acknowledged - Concerns about helipad.
RO: There will be no helipad
Nancy Kurkowski, Resident of Vicks Rd: - Nancy has a copy of the land contract and asked to clarify who is on it. Stated it’s jointly owned with wife Beth.
RO: LLC formed in 2022 with himself and wife - Has Rod done a business like this before?
RO: No experience with STR, hospitality or land development of this kind. Has been a business owner for many years. - If the project is unsuccessful, will you stay here in the area?
RO: Yes
Other community members present asked questions and made statements. - Looking for honestly in this process.
RO: Absolutely yes. - Concerns about emergency access via the private road
- Will this start small and controlled then grow into condos like Mount Bohemia?
RO: No plans to add condos - Cautions about starting with grand ideas then stopping without completion.
- Is Rod living on the property now?
RO: No - When will you break even on investment?
RO: 1 year - Are there wells installed yet?
RO: No - There are about 15 property owners between Point Abbaye Rd and Rod’s property. Does Rod have easements to improve the road?
RO: No - What company are you using for the domes?
RO: Pacific Domes - Will pets be permitted?
RO: Not sure. Working individually with visitors on this.
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- Questions on application and plans from Planning Commission members
Donna Preston: Be aware of winter load restrictions and access for EMS. Guests may need to have a waiver for some items due to the remote location. Rod stated he has Starlink. Will domes need to have snow removed in the winter? If so, how will this be done. Rod stated he does not yet have a plan for this.
Bob Janda: Asked Zoning Administrator, Buddy Sweeney, if he was OK with this proposal. Buddy said yes, he is.
Jay Loman: Be sure the observation tower is under the tree line. Rod stated he does not have firm plans for this yet.
Joe Bollech: Suggest Rod see about having one septic mound system for both lots. This will be up to WUPHD.
John Salisbury: Confirmed that Rod will be living at the property 24/7 when there are guests. Suggested having one shared well instead of 2.
Nancy Strohschein:
- How will laundry be done? RO: In town at the laundry mat.
- Do you have a project manager to organize all the moving parts? RO: No
- The lots are being purchased on land contract. Are you up to date on your property taxes?
RO: No. He is behind on taxes and land contract payments. - Do you have a contractor for land clearing and building the decks needed for the domes?
RO: No. He will be using Debbie Haataja for excavation and septic field and Emblad for
wood material. He does not have a contractor for the decks. - Reminder that there are guidelines for signs in the Zoning Ordinance
- Planning Commission discussion
Nancy led the discussion of the Planning Commission to summarize what was learned and make sure all questions were answered.
Nancy stated that per a conversation with the township attorney, and based on our Zoning
Ordinance, we can ask for a performance guarantee bond from the applicant. This would provide money for the township to recover damages or clean up the site if the owner does not appropriately complete the project. Nancy suggested that an appropriate amount for each site would be $30,000 to $40,000.
The conditions for such bond would be:
- Project completion within 12 months of application approval. Project competition determined by final Certificate of Occupancy.
- Proper construction of septic fields and placements of wells per WUPHD permits. Conforming to all heath department requirements.
- Property taxes are paid in full, including for the year of completion.
- Geodesic dome manufacturer warrants that the structures have snow load and wind ratings appropriate for the area.
- Properties conform to all relevant requirements for Short Term Rentals in Arvon Township,
which are detailed in the Ordinance.
There were no further questions.
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- Action item: Planning Commission to determine next steps, which could be approval,
denial or postpone decision. The options for action are:
a. Approve the application as presented with no conditions. The motion must state why it is
being approved, referencing any pertinent items in the ZO.
b. Deny the application as presented. Appeal from property owners would be to the Zoning
Board of Appeals (ZBA).
c. Approve one application, for one lot only, but not the other. Motion and vote needed.
d. Approve one or both applications with conditions. Motion and vote needed.
e. Postpone the decision to gather more info. No motion is needed since no action is being
taken. Ask property owners for specific info to provide. Must be very specific with what is
being asked. This option can/should be combined with the performance guarantee option.
f. Require a performance guarantee per ZO Article 11. See below – No motion is needed. The list of items to be included in the guarantee must be specific. The amount of bond will be stated at this meeting. This option can/should be combined with the postpone option.
Motion: Approve both applications with condition of full compliance with Health Department requirements. Motion made: Jay Loman Motion seconded: Nancy Strohschein
Discussion: Nancy suggested we add the performance guarantee bond per the above requirements. The motion was not amended and stands for vote as made.
Voice Vote:
- Joe Bollech: Yes
- Bob Janda: Yes
- Jay Loman: Yes
- Donna Preston: Yes
- John Salisburuy: Yes
- Nancy Strohschein: No
Motion approved
- Next steps
This matter is resolved and the applicant may begin his project. - Adjourn
Meeting adjourned at 7:30 PM
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