Summer means many Americans and Canadians head to the abundant freshwater lakes across large swaths of both countries. It is also a time to reflect, consider, and be reminded of potential planning and zoning issues that arise with the tourists and vacationers. Below are 11 planning lessons from the Midwest’s summer lake cottage country. Believe me, there could have been many more. Peace!
- Many of these lakes are located in rural/semi-rural locations employing thousands and thousands of individual septic sewerage systems. The lack of ongoing inspection requirements in many of these areas poses a great risk to the very aquatic attributes that draw so many to these lakes. Michigan alone has upwards of 1.4 million septic systems in the state. Minnesota has over 600,000. Faulty, undersized, and/or failed septic systems can lead to e-coli and other pathogens entering these waters. This is one area that should be addressed on a statewide basis through legislation requiring point-of-sale septic system inspections/corrections, as it is much more than a local problem.
- While the majority of visitors to lake country were from the same general region a generation or two ago, a growing percentage of visitors are arriving from the South and South Central states to escape the excessive heat. It’s going to take aggressive national and international steps to properly address issues associated with increasing global temperatures. Until then, the number of visitors and climate migrants will only increase.
- Mass tourist events such as boat rallies, holiday fireworks, or sandbar parties can dramatically impact inland lakes and shorelines by increasing the severity of wave activity or pollution These events can also overwhelm local emergency responders and public safety personnel without a comprehensive team effort being employed by local, county, and state officials.
- While lakeshore cities and towns are thriving, just a few miles further away can be a far different story, as non-waterfront communities tend not to see much economic spillover from the nearby vacationers. Regional planning agencies working with economic and tourism development groups should strive to better inform visitors and newcomers alike of the attributes and amenities that can be found just a sort distance beyond the lakeshore.
- Dramatically higher land and housing prices in lakeside communities are driving many locals out of these places, leading to long commutes with increased costs and traffic congestion for the general workforce. The dislocation also increases the potential for sprawl. Adopting workforce housing requirements in regulations and approvals can alleviate some this problem, as can amending zoning and building codes, as well as eliminating solely single-family detached dwelling zoning districts.
- Castle cottages and vacation estates are rapidly replacing cozy vacation cottages and rustic cabins on many lakeshores. This dramatically increases lot coverage and storm water runoff rates while also creating off-street parking chaos and narrowed passageways for emergency vehicles. Educating local officials through webinars, seminars, publications, and other efforts can help, provided they take advantage of such options.
- Often, rural/semi-rural lake country communities are understaffed and poorly budgeted for addressing the planning, zoning, building issues that arise from the added development pressures associated with newcomers, visitors, and especially the physical changes that come from quaint cottages, cabin courts, and small lakeside retreats/resorts being replaced by castle cottages, multi-story condominiums, gated communities, and exclusive resorts.
- Many areas surrounding these lakes were platted as much as a century ago resulting in multitudes of narrow lots, keyholed (funneled) lots, orphaned lots, road ends, and other oddities that create headaches for homeowners, builders, planners, zoning administrators, realtors, and road departments today.
- Over-fertilization of lawns and gardens harms the lakes and the aquatic wildlife that call them home through algae blooms. This leads to added cleanup expenses for lakeside homeowners plus potential danger to wildlife from eutrophication and to humans when toxic blooms develop. Educational efforts by local communities, non-profits, and lake area associations can go a long way towards improving the situation, but it takes time and consistency.
- As lakes become increasingly popular, specialty businesses are established to serve the growing throng of visitors. These business may ranging from food boats (floating food trucks), to tour operators, to floating ice cream stands or bars, to float-through boat food service at shorefront restaurants, to a variety of other unique land/water uses no normally covered in zoning ordinances. As a result, lake country communities can often be the birthplace for cutting-edge zoning regulations to address these uses/activities.
- These planning and zoning issues are not limited to the Midwest, as similar problems have developed in lakeside communities across the country from Lake Tahoe on the California/Nevada border, to Devils Lake in North Dakota, to the Finger Lakes of New York, to the lakes of central New Hampshire. Given the extent of these issues, communities across the nation should seek out ideas from well beyond their own state borders.
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