It’s been quiet lately on the Vermilion State Park front.
After bi-partisan support in 2008 for what would be the first new Minnesota State Park in 30 years, negotiations between landowner U.S. Steel and the State of Minnesota stalled when the parties disagreed on the value of the nearly 3,000 acre property.
While some still hold out hope for a park on the southeastern shore of Lake Vermilion, U.S. Steel took steps toward its Plan B for the land: the development of luxury home sites. But, while the company has gotten permits for development, no preparations to the property have been made.
The St. Paul Legal Ledger’s Britt Robson took a new look at the matter HERE, recently. In the thorough piece, Robson reminds readers of the extra incentives the Minnesota DNR reportedly sweetened their offer with and the roles park advocates and opponents — some of them gubernatorial candidates — might play in the coming years.
Ultimately, Robson thinks it’s more likely that, to enjoy the property, visitors will need to build a house on land purchased from U.S. Steel rather than with a campsite permit obtained from a park ranger.
We’ve reported on developments in the story previously on Wilderness News Online: HERE, HERE, and HERE.
