Goodhue County discusses repeal of Official Map No. 1 to clear path for Pine Island development

Goodhue County commissioners on Wednesday heard an informational presentation on a request to repeal Goodhue County Official Map No. 1 in the Pine Island area, an action the city says is needed to allow a proposed light-industrial development to proceed.

County public works staff said the official map, adopted in February 2004, centers on Highway 52 and includes a proposed realignment of County Road 11 and several frontage segments. "In front of you, we have an informational item regarding the repeal of Goodhue County number 1, which is primarily located in the Pine Island area," said Jake, Goodhue County public works director.

The county presentation said the map was created as part of a multi-jurisdictional planning effort involving Pine Island, Goodhue County, Olmsted County and MnDOT. The Elk Run interchange in Olmsted County was part of the earlier plan and has been built; the north Pine Island interchange and the County Road 11 realignment shown on the 2004 map have not been constructed and, according to county staff, have not attracted developer interest.

County staff said the existing interchange and County Road 11 currently meet traffic needs and that the county plans reconstruction work on County Road 11 just south of County Road 55 in 2026. The city of Pine Island has asked the county to repeal the official map for a roughly 4.25-acre parcel at the north end of Pine Island that the city and a developer, the Ryan Company, hope to develop as light industrial. The city council passed a resolution supporting the repeal in January 2025, the presentation said.

"With this encumbrance, it's preventing any of that activity from happening," said the Pine Island City Administrator (name not specified), urging the county to allow the development to move forward. The city administrator also told commissioners MnDOT and the developer are supportive, and that the parcel is expected to be annexed to Pine Island through an orderly-annexation process in the coming weeks or months.

County staff outlined the local process for repeal. Planning Commission must hold a public hearing with at least 10 days' notice; that hearing is scheduled for March 17, 2025. If the Planning Commission approves the repeal, the matter will come back to the Board of Commissioners, with county staff anticipating a commissioners' agenda item on April 1, 2025, followed by recording of documents to remove the map's encumbrances from property records. "There is no action that we're requesting today," Jake said.

Commissioners asked why the Planning Commission is the first formal step, noting the map repeal is not a zoning change and involves transportation elements. County staff said the process and public-notice requirements for establishing and repealing official maps are set out in statute and that Planning Commission historically has been the venue for the required public outreach.

The discussion was informational; no motion or vote took place. County staff said they will keep the board updated as the Planning Commission hearing and subsequent steps proceed.

Planned next steps include the March 17, 2025, Planning Commission public hearing and possible Board of Commissioners action on April 1, 2025. If repealed, staff said county recording of documents would follow to remove the map designation from individual property records and allow the proposed development process to move forward.