Zoning committee approves Lake Chipewa Campground expansion for 11 additional sites

The Sawyer County Zoning Committee approved a conditional-use permit to add 11 campsites at Lake Chipewa Campground, bringing the campground’s permitted total to 240 sites.

Campground owner Don Robinson told the committee he intends to meet state and county requirements; county staff noted pending sanitary permitting for the new sites and recommended a set of conditions that the applicant said he accepted. Nearby campground operators and other local resort owners spoke in favor of the expansion, while one resident and others asked the committee to clarify whether the new sites would be primitive or include utility hookups.

The committee approved the permit with conditions, including compliance with Wisconsin ATCP 79, county setback and septic requirements, seasonal operation dates and quiet hours. Committee members and staff also discussed whether to require site maps as a binding condition, and staff advised the committee it typically permits the number and operation of sites rather than prescribing exact map locations so long as ordinance setbacks and state approvals are met.