Neighbors oppose variance to split 25.62-acre Tazewell County farm into four home sites

A petition to allow up to four residential lots on a 25.62-acre parcel in Tazewell County prompted extended public comment Tuesday night as neighbors and the property owner debated whether the request should be handled by rezoning, a special use permit or a variance.

The issue matters because the county’s zoning rules and soil-productivity standards determine whether farmland can be divided for homes. Neighbors told the Zoning Board of Appeals the property contains a greater share of highly productive soils than the ordinance allows for a land-division variance, while the applicant said limiting lots to four and adding setbacks would address local concerns.

At the hearing, Jared Beckendorf, a neighboring resident who said he reviewed soil productivity index (PI) data, told the board he ran acreage calculations and found roughly 7.9 acres of the 25.62 acres meet PI thresholds for what the county treats as highly productive ground. "In essence ... approximately 69% of this property is below the 125," Beckendorf said, adding that the county rule he…