Lee County hearing hears request to rezone 79-acre Dixon property for continued family farming; decision pending

At a Lee County Zoning Hearing Officer proceeding, the JW King Family Limited Partnership asked the county to rezone a 79.22‑acre parcel at 1215 Institute Boulevard in Dixon from R‑2 (single‑family residential) to AG‑1 (rural agricultural). Richard King, the partnership’s general partner, testified that the property has been in his family since 1915 and described current uses and conservation agreements on the land.

The request matters, county staff and nearby residents told the hearing officer, because the parcel lies adjacent to city of Dixon residential areas and to public parkland; county planning documents identify the site as future residential. Alice Hinkle, Lee County zoning administrator, entered the county’s exhibits showing the comprehensive plan map and a city of Dixon resolution formally objecting to the AG‑1 request. The hearing officer took the record and said he would issue a written decision later.

Richard King testified under oath that the partnership owns 79.22 acres and that the property “has been in the family since 1915.” He said about 35 acres are planted timber,…