Commissioners approve rezone to allow residential development on utility-limited site

The Board of Commissioners approved Ordinance 2025-36 on Oct. 6 to rezone property owned by Thompson Property Investments from R-1 to A, after staff and the developer said the site lacks nearby public utilities needed to meet R-1 standards.

County staff explained the R-1 designation has existed for a long time but public utilities are out of reach for the site, making traditional R-1 development infeasible. “Developing to an R-1 standard is just not possible, for the foreseeable future,” county staff said in presentation.

Developer Josh Ives of Thompson Property Investments told the commission the parcel is a field surrounded by housing and that, with conversations with the Area Plan Commission, they expect to divide three parent tracts into about eight to nine large lots. “We can get ... 8 to 9 large lots out of it,” Ives said.

Following the public presentation and no opposing public comment, the clerk recorded “Ordinance 2025-36 ... passes 2 to 0.” Staff recommended the rezone as consistent with the comprehensive plan’s future land use map.

The rezoning allows alternative residential development patterns more suitable to a site without immediate access to public utilities; staff suggested parcelization and off-grid approaches could meet the developer’s objectives.