Conditional Use Permit For Feedlot Approved Even Though Application Incomplete.

The defendants (married couple) wanted to establish a small cattle feedlot on 27 acres.  The proposed feedlot was subject to various land-use ordinances and they needed to obtain a conditional use permit (CUP) from the city zoning administrator in the nearby town who would then forward the application to the joint planning board which would make a recommendation to the county board who would then make a final decision.  The plaintiffs filed an application for a CUP and the joint planning board recommended approval with various conditions.  A public hearing was held and numerous neighbors objected to the CUP being granted.  The CUP was approved with the conditions, and various nearby landowners appealed on the basis that the application was incomplete, the board failed to consider public opposition, and because existing regulations barred a new feedlot in the area.  The court disagreed, holding that oral discussions concerning the missing information on the application were sufficient such that the board did not act unreasonably or arbitrarily in granting the permit.  The court also determined that other land-use restrictions did not apply.  Loncorich, et al. v. McLeod County Board of Commissioners, et al., No. A14-1734, 2015 Minn. App. Unpub. LEXIS 820 (Minn. Ct. App. Aug. 17, 2015).