Marshfield planning commission recommends adding Heritage Drive parcel to sewer service area, removes 15 acres from airport property

The Planning Commission of the City of Marshfield on March 18 recommended that Wood County approve a sewer service area amendment petition from iState to add a recently annexed parcel on Heritage Drive to the city’s sewer service area and remove approximately 15 acres from the current service area at the Marshfield Airport.

The request would add a roughly 15-acre parcel (Parcel 303-07473) now inside city limits to the sewer service area to enable development by iState to the west, while removing an equivalent amount of acreage from the airport property to keep the sewer-service-area acreage balanced.

Planner Bryce Hamburg told commissioners the city’s 2019 sewer service area update did not include the subject parcel because it was then outside city limits and adjacent land was undeveloped. Because the adjoining west parcel is now moving forward with development, Hamburg said, extending service to the Heritage Drive parcel is feasible and follows the adopted staging in the comprehensive plan.

Hamburg summarized the amendment standards staff used: minimal adverse impacts on water quality; existing or planned sewage facilities must have capacity for projected flows; conformance with county and local land-use plans; and configuration changes may be made if acreage is exchanged on a one-for-one basis. He said wastewater staff reviewed the proposal in the development review team process and found the change appropriate.

There was no public comment at the hearing. After the public hearing closed, a commissioner moved to accept staff recommendation; the motion was seconded and the commission approved the recommendation on roll call: Teastrich, O'Reilly, Kim Frederick, John Caprillion, Bernardi and Meyer voting yes.

Hamburg told the commission earlier that Steve Barks, city administrator, had discussed taking the 15 acres from the airport and that the airport acreage chosen is unlikely to be developed unless the airport undergoes major redevelopment in the future. Hamburg also noted the parcel’s future-land-use designation as employment/retail/mixed use, describing it as suited to truck sales and service along U.S. 10.

Next steps: the Planning Commission’s action was a recommendation to Wood County Planning and Zoning; final approval of the sewer service area amendment rests with Wood County.