When the Minnesota State Fair rolls around each year, Mark Lentsch is ready for it, and so are his yards.

He usually allows 22 drivers at a time to park on his front yard, side yard and his fully-paved back lot, netting him a considerable sum. Many of his neighbors do the same.

“You can make $2,500 to $5,000 a house,” said Lentsch, whose home in the 1500 block of Wynne Avenue sits within a decades-old State Fair “parking and overlay district” that allows yard parking during the 12 days of the Fair. It’s been his tradition for 12 years, and Lentsch pays sales taxes on the revenue.

This year was different. A conflict with a neighbor shut down his front yard operation, cutting into his bottom line. The zoning code states that property owners must obtain written consent from adjoining property owners for front yard parking, which he no longer has.

Neighboring property owner William Jessen submitted a letter to the city objecting to Lentsch’s set-up, even though Jessen has been using his own front lot for State Fair parking for years.

For city officials, the parking imbroglio underscores the difficulty of balancing private property rights in the shadow of the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

FIRST YEAR WITHOUT CONSENT

Lentsch, who sought a major zoning variance from the city to continue to park on his front yard, claims his neighbor became hostile in recent months after his daughter moved in with him, bringing her young son with her. A security fence went up afterward.

“This is the first year that the neighboring property owner did not provide their consent,” said St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspections zoning inspector Jerome Benner, addressing the Board of Zoning Appeals during a recent hearing.

Jessen, who lives in North St. Paul, did not appear at the Aug. 26 Board of Zoning Appeals hearing on Lentsch’s variance request, and he was unable to be reached for further comment.

Lentsch and his daughter told the board that Jessen used his own front yard for State Fair parking for nearly 30 years.

Jessen’s property is up for sale, with a closing scheduled in September. Lentsch, a real estate broker, said the prospective buyers have already inquired about how much money they too can make from yard parking.

FAMILIAR FACE AROUND CITY HALL

Lentsch is no stranger at St. Paul City Hall, where he has in the past challenged St. Paul Public Works over who owns the land along his side yard. In that case he was able to show city staff a quit-claim deed from the Minnesota Department of Transportation for the previously state-owned lot.

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St. Paul City Council relaxes housing density restrictions near transit corridors The nine-member board expressed some hesitation around the details — including the fact that Lentsch’s backlot was fully paved, well beyond the 15 percent coverage allowed by the city — but they acknowledged that the ordinance was clear about the consent requirements.

Lentsch’s request was unanimously voted down, and he was not allowed front yard parking. Several board members, however, said the rules of the overlay district appear to be outdated.

“This ordinance, (dating back) over 20 years or so, could use some updates,” Benner acknowledged.