Planning commission recommends land-use changes to allow ValleyCorp move; Glass Lake parcel ceding proposed

Douglas County planning staff and the county—s planning commission recommended approval of a series of land-use changes that would let ValleyCorp relocate a construction yard from inside the City of Valley to a county parcel northwest of Valley, and would cede a portion of the nearby Glass Lake parcel to the City of Valley to allow a proposed subdivision, planning staff and commissioners said.

Laura Dietrich, planning and zoning coordinator in Douglas County—s Department of Environmental Services, told the board the ValleyCorp proposal would require amending the county—s future land use map from agricultural to industrial, rezoning the parcel from agricultural to industrial and, if those changes are approved, issuing a special-use permit to operate a construction yard on the site. "In order for them to operate a construction yard on that parcel, they would need to have an amendment to the future land use map to redesignate that property from ag to industrial," Dietrich said.

The planning commission also recommended that a portion of the Glass Lake property now under Douglas County jurisdiction be ceded to the City of Valley at the city—s request so the city can proceed with a proposed lakeside subdivision. Dietrich said staff and the city negotiated an interlocal agreement and that the commission recommended the jurisdictional change after drafting edits were completed.

Why it matters: the changes would permit moving ValleyCorp—s existing operations from inside Valley city limits to a site outside the city—s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Dietrich said ValleyCorp—s current location has housed its operations and corporate headquarters for several decades, "It's been there for 40 years, more. '89," she said. The new site is near Bennington Road and adjacent to the proposed Glass Lake development on what was described in the meeting as a sand pit.

Process and status: David (identified in the record as the planning commission chair) described the history of hearings. The commission first considered the comprehensive plan amendment in March and laid the matter over so staff and the applicant could work on conditions after public comment and commissioner concerns. "Planning commission is just a recommending body on all of these actions," David said, adding that the commission—s approvals are recommendations to the county board. The ValleyCorp applications returned to the commission in July, the chair said, and the commission then recommended approval of the comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning, special-use permit and the Glass Lake jurisdictional ceding.

Officials said public testimony at the commission—s July meeting was limited to a few speakers. Chair and county board members in the meeting asked staff for clarification about the process, the potential practical and legal ramifications of amending the future land use map and what the relocation would mean for nearby residents. One county commissioner asked how easy it should be to amend a future land-use map and what ValleyCorp would bring to the area, and several board members said they wanted input from people who would live nearest the proposed site.

What would change on the ground: Dietrich said the proposal would allow ValleyCorp to continue concrete recycling and mulch operations at the new site, add a retail component and relocate at least one of the company's other operations from southwestern Douglas County to the proposed site. The Glass Lake ceding was described as necessary to allow the city of Valley to move forward with a lakeside subdivision on land currently split between jurisdictions.

Next steps: the planning commission—s motions are recommendations to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners. The county board did not take final action during the portion of the meeting covered in the transcript; commissioners asked procedural questions and requested input from nearby residents. A county-board decision on the planning commission—s recommendations is pending.

Ending: County staff noted that draft terms and conditions for a special-use permit were negotiated between staff and the applicant before the commission—s July recommendation and that minor drafting edits to the Glass Lake interlocal agreement remained before formal county-board consideration.