Corps halts construction at Tobacco Gardens
By Betsy Ryan
Farmer Staff Writer
After receiving a letter from the Corps of Engineers placing a moratorium on new construction at the Tobacco Gardens recreation area, the McKenzie County Park Board met earlier this month to approve a letter that was drafted asking to appeal the decision.
In 2012, the owners of Tobacco Gardens Resort & Marina submitted plans to the Corps of Engineers requesting a permit to build a 40’x40’ garage. The plans were not approved until 2015.
While in the process of building the garage, financial strain and health problems contributed to a change in plans. Instead of building one 40’x40’ garage as originally intended, owners built a smaller garage and then later added an attached lean-to to house a McKenzie County Sheriff’s Office boat.
In the end, the garage and lean-to were built in the approved location but the final footprint of the new structure ended up measuring 38’x32’ instead of the approved 40’x40’.
After the 2017 Corps of Engineers inspection, Tobacco Gardens Resort & Marina received a letter from the Corps of Engineers reprimanding them for not filing updated plans for the structure and informing them of the moratorium. The moratorium, the letter said, is from Sept. 1, 2017 - Sept. 1, 2019.