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Commission approves variance letting HMMI place air-handling equipment at property line
Summary
The Huron City Commission, sitting as the Board of Adjustments, approved a variance allowing HMMI Incorporated LLC to construct an addition and install an air‑handling system up to the property line at 640 Arizona NW. The decision clears one regulatory hurdle but leaves right‑of‑way abandonment and airport protection‑zone issues for later review.
The Huron City Commission, sitting as the Board of Adjustments, voted to approve a variance allowing HMMI Incorporated LLC to build an addition and place a connected air‑handling system up to the property line at 640 Arizona NW, reducing the 15‑foot setback required in the I‑2 General Industrial District to 0 feet.
City planner Ray Cranston said the proposal treats the air‑handling equipment as part of the building’s essential infrastructure and therefore eligible for the variance. "The variance... would allow horizontal machining to build up to the property line as the air handling equipment since it is considered an essential function of the building and therefore part of the infrastructure," Cranston said.
The variance approved by the Board of Adjustments covers only the setback requirement; potential abandonment or vacation of adjacent right‑of‑way — and a separate review by the planning commission — remain unresolved. Cranston said the right‑of‑way abandonment would be considered later at the planning commission and, if pursued, would come back to the commission for final action.
Representatives of HMMI — identified in the record only as Matt and Brandy — told commissioners the project is time‑sensitive. Matt said the company already has equipment staged offsite: "We have $7,000,000 set in the parking lot right now waiting to get put into a home." He described an unusually large piece of equipment that requires a long interior bay and said the company needs the addition to be able to bring the equipment inside.
Commissioners and staff pressed for contingencies. Members asked what would happen if a right‑of‑way vacation is not approved; staff said HMMI had been asked to develop a "plan B." Building official Chris Newman recommended against vacating right‑of‑way, citing the precedent of permanently giving up public property, but said he was comfortable with granting the 0‑foot setback alone. Engineering staff raised alternative design and FAA/airport processes as possibilities to resolve height and location constraints.
Planning and engineering staff also noted that a portion of the site overlaps an airport runway protection zone (RPZ) on existing airport maps. City staff said they are awaiting input from an engineer and from airport officials about whether the planned addition and its heights would be restricted by RPZ limits; those determinations could affect future design or require an FAA application.
During discussion planners and staff gave specific measurements and constraints described in the meeting record: the air‑handler path is roughly 21 feet deep and more than 30 feet long; the requested setback reduction would gain about 7 feet of horizontal room on the site; one speaker said a piece of equipment ordered was about 126 feet long and that the building needed roughly 140 feet to accommodate it. Commissioners said the site’s existing right‑of‑way is unusually large (about 100 feet total, split roughly 33 feet east/67 feet west) and noted that nearby portions of the Huron Industrial Park are largely built out.
The Board of Adjustments approved the variance by roll call: Smith — aye; Klute — aye; Bragg — aye; Harvey — aye; Mayor — aye. The motion passed.
Votes at a glance: the commission later took several routine items by consent and approved other administrative items with separate roll calls during the same meeting. The consent agenda (minutes, department quotes, personnel items including the voluntary retirement of Assistant City Engineer Dennis Bennett, two special‑event alcohol permits, a raffle permit and payment of bills) was approved by roll call. The commission also approved annual trailer‑court license renewals and a memorandum of understanding to provide a city collection truck for the South Dakota State Fair (Aug. 25–Sept. 2). The city discussed — but did not approve — a request for swift‑water rescue equipment for the fire department; that request was deferred for further review by the capital assets committee.
Next steps: planning staff and HMMI will pursue the separate right‑of‑way vacation process at the planning commission, and city staff said they will continue to consult with airport engineers and the company to explore alternatives if FAA or RPZ restrictions limit the proposed addition. No public opposition was recorded during the hearing.
