Lincoln County commissioners deadlock on rezoning request for 4.85-acre parcel north of Lennox

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 28 failed to approve a request to rezone about 4.85 acres approximately 2,800 feet north of the city limits of Lennox from A‑1 agricultural to C commercial after a 2‑2 tie vote.

County planning staff presented the matter as a second reading and public hearing. Toby Brown, representing county planning, said the application was filed under the previous comprehensive plan and that the county’s comprehensive plan currently guides the site as agricultural until annexation by Lennox. "This application was submitted under the previous comprehensive plan," Brown said, adding that the property was subdivided in 2024 and contains three Quonset huts that historically were used for agricultural storage.

Why it matters: Planning staff and the County Planning Commission flagged conflicts with the City of Lennox’s ordinances and the county comprehensive plan. The City of Lennox sent a formal objection asking denial because the city’s commercial zones do not permit outdoor storage yards; Lennox officials said storage yards are allowed only in a light industrial district and then only by conditional use permit.

Applicant Jess Aiken, who said he lives on the adjacent house, told commissioners the site once served as a government grain‑bin location and that his family has held the land for decades. Aiken described the proposed use as outdoor storage for recreational vehicles, boats and trailers on gravel with no new buildings beyond the existing Quonset structures. "We are looking to get it into commercial or whatever it needs to be to run a business to do outdoor storage," Aiken said.

City of Lennox planner Nathan Vander Plaats attended and read the city’s letter to the planning commission, noting that the plat approved in May 2024 was represented as a transfer‑of‑ownership plat and that development may be restricted until the subdivision process is complete. "Allowing this rezoning and development as an automobile storage yard would contradict the terms of that plat approval," Vander Plaats said, and he urged the county to consider compatibility with Lennox’s zoning as the city expands northward.

Planning commission action and staff analysis: Brown said the county planning commission held a public hearing, received Lennox’s comments, and unanimously recommended denial based on inconsistency with the county and city comprehensive plans. Brown told the board that while the county’s 1971 zoning adoption allowed landowners to petition for rezoning, guidance for changes is the comprehensive plan.

Board debate and vote: Commissioner Arons moved to approve the rezoning and Commissioner Putnam seconded. Commissioners Arons and Putnam voted yes; Commissioners Otten and Schmidt voted no. The motion failed on a 2‑2 tie. The chair noted the outcome means the application did not pass today but may be brought back at the board’s next meeting.

What remains unresolved: Staff and several commissioners noted the application was reviewed under the prior comprehensive plan, not the recently adopted one. Commissioners and members of the public discussed possible alternate pathways, including annexation by Lennox or seeking different zoning classifications, and the board said the applicant may return to a future meeting. No change of zone was approved and no conditional use permit was issued at the meeting.

Ending: The commission closed the public hearing after hearing proponent and opponent testimony and will consider whether the applicant will refile or bring additional materials at a future meeting.