Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Supervisors OK first reading to rezone Memorial Park Road parcel for indoor storage and contractor office
Summary
Des Moines County supervisors approved a resolution and the first reading of an amendment to Zoning Ordinance No. 34 to rezone a parcel on Memorial Park Road from R-1 to C-1 with written conditions limiting permitted commercial uses; the applicant and current owner signed the conditions before the hearing.
Des Moines County supervisors on Aug. 12 opened a public hearing and approved a resolution and the first reading of an amendment to Zoning Ordinance No. 34 that would rezone a parcel on Memorial Park Road from R-1 single- to two-family residential to C-1 general commercial, subject to written conditions limiting allowed commercial uses. The board approved the resolution and the first reading after the county’s land-use staff described the proposed limits and confirmed the applicant and current property owner had signed the conditions in advance.
The applicant, Joshua Horn, told the board (through county staff) he plans to buy the parcel from the current owner, Oliver of Rental Properties, LLC, and use the two existing metal buildings for indoor storage and a possible future office for his business, Precision Coatings and Painting. Jared Lassner, the county’s land-use representative, said, “the property contains 2 existing, metal buildings, that have been used for private storage for a number of years, but no residents.”
Why it matters: The board is weighing whether to allow a commercial rezoning that supporters say enables a small local business to expand, while neighbors and some commissioners flagged the risk that a general C-1 designation could later permit more intensive uses. The zoning commission recommended approval, 3–2, with a written condition that would restrict future principal uses on the parcel to indoor storage and office space for specialty building contractors or similar service businesses and prohibit on-site retail sales.
The land-use presentation said the property once included a mobile home that has been removed and that the proposed use would not include any residential activity. The draft condition lists example allowable businesses: air-conditioning and heating, carpentry and masonry, painting, roofing, flooring, upholstery and related contractor/service operations, provided no retail sales occur on site. Lassner told the board the condition is intentionally descriptive rather than exhaustive so future inquiries about use will be judged against that range.
State law requires a property owner’s written agreement before supervisors impose extra conditions on a rezoning; county staff presented signatures from both the applicant and the current property owner. The county’s zoning commission debated the sufficiency of the language and whether the condition would be specific enough to preserve the residential character of the surrounding area; the commission voted 3–2 to recommend approval with the added condition.
Action taken: A supervisor moved and the board approved the resolution adopting the conditions that accompany the amendment to Zoning Ordinance No. 34, with the roll call showing supervisors voting in favor. The board then approved the ordinance’s first reading, acknowledging the matter will return for at least one more formal vote before final adoption.
What remains: The ordinance requires a second reading and final vote at a future meeting. Supervisors may approve the amendment as conditioned, approve it without the condition, deny it or modify the conditions. The record shows one adjacent property owner submitted a written comment expressing general acceptance of the proposed use but concern that the C-1 designation could allow different, more intensive commercial activities in the future.
