County Planning Commission grants conditional use permit for waste management project on the East End

Cook County residents may see some major changes to solid waste management over the next year. The county’s transfer station project took a step forward on April 9 when the Planning Commission approved a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a facility in Hovland.

The transfer station project is a partnership between Cook County and North Shore Waste. While the county will own the facilities, they will contract the operations to North Shore Waste, who are currently the only solid waste processing company in the the county.

The overall project includes a large transfer station in Grand Marais, plus smaller stations in Tofte and Hovland. The model has been described as “hub and spoke.” Currently, the county manages a recycling trailer in Hovland, but a transfer station would be able to accept a wider range of solid waste. The Hovland station would replace the recycling trailer that currently serves the East End. Area residents would be able to bring recyclables to the transfer station along with their trash.

The Hovland transfer station has been proposed for a county-owned parcel on North Road (CR 69). It is currently the Hovland Highway Garage. It is located in an otherwise residential district, which does allow for limited commercial use with permission. The plan, as it currently stands, would include a small structure for staff, enclosed storage, and receptacles for different kinds of waste. The area would be enclosed by a fence.

Before construction can begin, the county will need to develop a water runoff plan and coordinate with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

The members of the Planning Commission had a short list of questions, addressing things like how much of the current tree screen would be removed during construction, what future septic needs might be, plus questions about staffing and what the hours of access might be for East End residents.

When North Shore Waste co-owner Dustin Hanson weighed in during the Planning Commission meeting to answer the commissioners’ questions, he said that things like the exact hours that residents would be able to bring in their waste are yet to be determined. He added that when it comes to plumbing needs, the plan at this time is to bring a portable toilet to the site for staff use.

Planning Commission Chair Charlie LaBoda recused himself from voting on the issue because of a conflict of interest, stating that he may be involved in some of the site-work done on the project. He did, however, comment on the question of retaining some of the tree screening. He said the parcel is relatively sparsely populated, with much of the existing tree screen located on a neighboring parcel. He and Hanson agreed that most of the trees near the project site would be minimally impacted.

Now that the Planning Commission has granted a CUP for the project, it will go before the County Board of Commissioners for approval.

Kirsten Wisniewski April 15, 2025