Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Local developer angry at out-of-town real estate agent



Joel Lemmerman, part owner of the Dutch Lake Woods development,
said he could scarcely believe some of the things said to city employees
by Laurie Karnes, agent for Land For Sale, Inc., last week.

Lemmerman was responding to the many calls he had regarding
the comments made by City Administrator Christina Franken-field at the April
6 city council meeting.

Frankenfield had relayed some information from the agent
about placing manufactured homes in Dutch Lake Woods.

Karnes asked for 24 building permits.

She led Frankenfield to believe she was close friends with
Lemmerman’s partner, Curt Swanson. She suggested to Frankenfield that Swanson
would sell those lots to her company. Neither of those statements is true,
said Lemmerman later.

Council members stated concerns about the validity of the
information, since Lemmerman had not been available for comment at this
point.

“It is absolutely not true that this agent can come
into Dutch Lake Woods and place manufactured homes there,” said Lemmerman.

She is a headhunter for a land sales outfit, Lemmerman
said.

“Besides,” said Lemmerman, “there is a covenant
in place that means any home would have to be approved by me, and I wouldn’t
approve manufactured homes.”

Curt Swanson, Lemmerman’s partner, agrees that the quality
of the homes must remain high in the Dutch Lake Woods development.

Lemmerman said Swanson could certainly sell his interest,
if the right quality buyer came along. That person would have to be committed
to the same type of quality home.

As far as the manufactured homes that might come into Howard
Lake in the future, Frankenfield said they are restricted to the park designated
for manufactured homes.

This type of home is described as being on a metal chassis
and used to be referred to as a mobile home, she said.

The city passed its new zoning ordinance April 6, and it
has been published.

It is not possible now for manufactured homes to be any
place in the city other than the manufactured home park, and all 24 building
permits have been returned to the city, unsigned, she said.

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