Lincoln County commission recommends approval of 6-acre plan-development to allow one home south of Harrisburg

The Lincoln County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a plan-development district that would rezone a roughly 6-acre parcel south of Harrisburg to allow one single-family dwelling and an accessory building limited to 6,000 square feet.

Toby Brown, planning staff, told the commission the applicant submitted a final development plan that restricts uses to a single dwelling and caps accessory building area at 6,000 square feet to address neighborhood concerns. "We did work to restrict it to just one single-family dwelling on the property," Brown said, adding the city of Harrisburg had amended its comprehensive plan to guide the property for rural residential use.

Mark Blow, the applicant, said he has owned property in the area for roughly 20 years and intends to build a home. "We've been there for 20 years," he said. Neighbors raised questions about whether future owners could monetize additional housing eligibilities; commissioners discussed precedent and whether the county is allowing the northern-growth-area pattern to expand.

Commissioner Boots moved to recommend approval; the proposal passed on roll call with four votes in favor and one abstention from the Lincoln County commission representative. The recommendation now goes to the Board of Commissioners for a second public hearing and final decision.

If the Board of Commissioners approves the rezoning, the plan development district would permit the owner to apply for building permits for the dwelling and the accessory structure but would require any future change to return to the public hearing process.