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COPS & COURTS: White Bear Lake man charged with murder in fatal crash PAGE 6
Council pulls shortterm rentals, charging mandate out of code
Vadnais Heights Days: Community, sports and local fun
BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
WHITE BEAR LAKE — The City Council has decided it might be best to address the topic of short-term rentals and possible regulations through a licensing structure instead of the city’s zoning code. For that reason, the council directed that the section about short-term rentals be removed from the zoning code update. “Short-term rentals are a relatively new use, so our current code doesn’t address them. Part of the modernization was to include new things that have popped up in the economy that didn’t exist before,” explained Community Development Director Jason Lindahl. (See “White Bear Lake City Council continues short-term rental discussion,” White Bear Press, July 16, 2025.) Mayor Dan Louismet said he grappled with the idea of distinguishing between lakeside zones and other residential areas, but landed on the need for a distinction so White Bear Lake doesn’t turn into Gull Lake or Cross Lake. “We are a community, not a resort town. We want people to be long-term owners. There is a certain level of pride in ownership, connection to the community that we historically have had and want to maintain,” Louismet said. “I’m OK with that distinction for that reason, for fear of lake properties turning into a vehicle to make money, which only drives the price of already expensive lake properties up.” Council Member Andrea West said she still has questions about what a conditional use permit for lakeside zones would look like and what kind of “permanence” a conditional use permit has. (A conditional use permit requires a public hearing before the planning commission and, ultimately, approval by the City Council.) Lindahl noted that, if the council chose to adopt the proposed zoning code language, the next step would be establishing a licensing process for short-term rentals. City Attorney Dave Anderson said he thought the regulation the city was trying to accomplish could be achieved through the licensing process alone and that requiring a conditional use permit might be “a little redundant.” He noted that a conditional use permit runs with the property, whereas a license runs with the owner of the property. “A conditional use permit in the sense of short-term rentals doesn’t, to me, make a lot of sense,” he said, explaining that the new owner
BY ERIK SUCHY STAFF WRITER
2025 may be halfway over, but for Vadnais Heights that doesn’t mean celebrating some oldfashioned community fun has to stop too. That’s where the city’s annual Vadnais Heights Days comes into the picture. Set to be held from Monday,
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BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
WHITE BEAR LAKE — The owner of Doc’s Landing has until Nov. 1 to meet certain conditions, or he may face consequences. The City Council has attached five conditions to Doc’s on-sale liquor
SEE VADNAIS HEIGHTS DAYS, PAGE 11
license. Doc’s Landing is located at 3200 White Bear Ave. “Over the past few years, our officers and fire department have responded to a variety of incidents in Doc’s Landing’s parking lot or in their establishment that has had a tendency to be fairly violent and
disruptive,” said Police Chief Dale Hager. “They have impacted our public safety response. We think they have impacted the quality of life for our surrounding residents, for people at the establishment and for visitors to the city.” SEE DOC’S LANDING, PAGE 7
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Doc’s Landing is working to meet conditions imposed by the city by Nov. 1.
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Community Park and Kohler Meadows Park and on the medallion hotline at 651-204-6017. They will continue to be posted at the same time daily until the medallion is found. The person who finds the medallion will receive a $500 prize. A senior picnic will be held
Aug. 11, to Sunday, Aug. 17, this year’s event, according to Recreation and Facilities Manager Katie Everett, will feature the same activities and joy previous attendees have come to expect — as well as a brand-new addition. The festival’s medallion hunt will begin Aug. 11. Clues will be posted starting at 9 a.m. on the city’s website, at City Hall,
Doc’s Landing gets deadline for meeting public safety conditions
SEE CITY CODE, PAGE 12
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A variety of tournaments will be held during Vadnais Heights Days, including bean bag, men’s softball, pickleball and volleyball.
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