Posted December 27, 2025
LAKELAND, Minn. – The Lakeland City Council delayed action on a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) amendment for the Bungalow Inn on Tuesday, directing staff to draft a proposal and broaden resident notification before revisiting the issue in November.
Mayor Robert Craggs and council members agreed to table the decision after a public hearing drew mixed opinions from residents. Concerns centered on noise levels, neighborhood appearance and oversight of the restaurant’s outdoor events.
Resident David Brandt spoke and provided written comments questioning the lack of city council oversight, the music decibel levels and neighborhood littering. He also requested one outside improvement on the property. “The fence along the road is deteriorating, broken or falling down,” he wrote. He and his wife, Sandy Brandt, suggest the fence be removed as part of any CUP as it “adversely affects the respectable appearance of the neighborhood.”
Car show worker Pat Coco countered that highway traffic noise from nearby Minnesota Highway 95 was more disruptive than events at the Bungalow Inn. He said trucks and motorcycles contributed more to neighborhood noise than the restaurant’s activities. “Trucks all day long making noise on that road,” he said. “Harley Davidsons all summer long, make noise on that road.”
According to a MSA Professional Services memo from council member Emily Herold, current owner Leo Yurek has requested a CUP to make permanent fixtures “on the west patio (televisions and live music) and documenting the usage of a live music stage and the property’s parking lots for recurring and special events.”
The CUP was last updated in July 2020, when the council also approved an Interim Use Permit allowing outdoor music and TV screens through November 2021. Those activities have continued despite the permit’s expiration.
In August, Rum River building inspectors issued a stop work order back after discovering an unpermitted music stage, which Yurek said was temporary and used during the restaurant’s annual car show.
The council instructed staff to prepare a draft CUP, allow residents to review the documentation, and expand the notification boundary to 1,500 feet before the November meeting.
The article may be found online at https://uwrfjournalism.org/2025/12/lakeland-city-council-tables-permit-decision-for-bungalow-inn/.