Council approves first reading to rezone small vacant lot south of former gas station

The Dell Rapids City Council on first reading approved ordinance 9-42, a rezoning request for a small vacant parcel adjacent to the former 76 gas station and intersected by the railroad right-of-way.

Sheldon Jensen, the city’s community development director, described the property — the south half of a vacated alley at Lot 12, Block 19 — as approximately 66 feet by 71 feet. The applicant, Brian Nelson, proposed rezoning the lot from I-2 (general/heavy industrial) to B-2 (general business) to allow construction of a roughly 2,400-square-foot contractor shop. Jensen said under the existing I-2 setbacks a building on the lot would be limited to about 800 square feet of buildable area; rezoning to B-2 would make the parcel more usable and avoid a spot rezoning to heavy industrial that could invite other heavy industrial uses if a property later failed.

Council members asked about access and setbacks; Jensen said the proposed building would access Clark Avenue and the lot does not adjoin any residential zoning. He also noted the site has potential floodplain issues but that would not preclude rezoning. The planning commission unanimously recommended approval at its Feb. 11 meeting.

Council member Barry moved and Council member Wendy seconded approval of the ordinance’s first reading; the motion carried by voice vote.

Clarifying detail: in a later staff clarification during the meeting, Jensen told the council that the general business (B-2) district in city code has no minimum lot-size requirement, which addresses concerns about the parcel’s small total lot area.

Speakers

• Sheldon Jensen — Community Development Director (government)

• Brian Nelson — Applicant (citizen/business)

• Barry — Council member (government)

• Wendy — Council member (government)

Authorities

[{"type":"ordinance","name":"Ordinance 9-42 (rezoning for Lot 12 Block 19)","referenced_by":["9-42 first reading vote","planning commission recommendation"]}]

Actions

[{"kind":"other","motion":"Approve first reading of ordinance 9-42 (rezone Lot 12 Block 19 from I-2 to B-2).","mover":"Barry","second":"Wendy","vote_record":[],"tally":{},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Planning commission recommended approval; applicant may still need building-permit/site approvals and any applicable floodplain mitigation."}]

Provenance

[{"block_id":"block_984.88495","local_start":0,"local_end":168,"evidence_excerpt":"Yes. An ordinance 9 42 is an ordinance to rezone a property in Delray Rapids. ... it's the vacant lot south of the old gas station... The applicant is Brian Nelson, and he is asking for it to be rezoned from I 2 General Industrial to B 2 General Business District.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"block_1335.55","local_start":0,"local_end":56,"evidence_excerpt":"Motion to approve. Moved by Barry that we approve first reading ordinance 9 4 2. Is there a second? Second. Seconded by Wendy. All in favor signify by saying aye.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]

topics:[{"name":"zoning","justification":"Rezoning request for a specific parcel and associated building plan; planning commission recommendation and council vote recorded.","scoring":{"topic_relevance":1.00,"depth_score":0.70,"opinionatedness":0.00,"controversy":0.15,"civic_salience":0.50,"impactfulness":0.40,"geo_relevance":1.00}}],"sections":{"lede":"The Dell Rapids City Council on first reading approved rezoning of a small vacant lot south of the former gas station from I-2 (general industrial) to B-2 (general business) to permit a larger contractor shop footprint.","nut_graf":"City staff said rezoning would increase the lot’s usable buildable area from an approximate 800 square feet under I-2 setbacks to accommodate the applicant’s proposed 2,400-square-foot building; the planning commission recommended approval unanimously.","ending":"The ordinance will return for a subsequent public hearing and second reading at a joint meeting with Minnehaha County; site-specific permits and any floodplain measures remain to be addressed."}