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Neighbors voice drainage and buffering concerns as Brookings council considers multiple rezoning and townhouse permits
Summary
Council heard two first-read rezoning requests and a conditional-use permit for townhouses in the Northern Plains area and a joint-jurisdiction rezoning for Outlot J; nearby residents raised drainage, flooding and screening concerns and a developer and staff said engineered drainage plans are in place.
City staff presented three land-use items on first reading: a rezoning of Outlot J in the city’s joint jurisdiction area, a rezoning of a 150-foot strip at the south end of Block 1 in the Northern Plains addition from B2A (office) to R2 (two-family), and a conditional-use permit (Ordinance 24-024) to permit townhouses where earlier approvals expired due to lack of construction.
Mike Strzok, community development director, said the rezoning for Outlot J is consistent with the comprehensive plan and comes with unanimous recommendations from the development review team and planning commission; that matter will be addressed in a joint city–county session at the next meeting.
On the Northern Plains rezoning, residents Jason Flaske and Ron Stee testified they had been told the small southern parcel would remain as green buffer to help manage runoff and shield adjacent homes from parking-lot lights. Stee described repeated drainage onto his property after the first rains and said the originally promised berm or buffer had not been constructed as he expected; he gave measurements and said underground utilities and a proposed building footprint raised questions about whether promised screening and drainage would be achieved.
Developer Kyle Roush said the project is following an engineered drainage plan registered with the city and that work — including an east-side berm where required — will be completed; he said the larger parking lot largely drains to a northeast retention area and that the developer has communicated with homeowners.
On the conditional-use permit for townhouses, staff explained the prior approval had lapsed because construction did not start within a year, and the current request would permit the same number of twin-home units (up to 20) across a slightly expanded footprint if rezoning is approved.
Council members asked clarifying questions about utility locations, drainage-plan coverage and whether screening or berms were required in the approved plans; staff said the drainage plan covers the entire area, that underground utilities carry minimum cover requirements and that reconfiguration to residential use would not require reauthorizing the drainage plan but could change surface coverage in ways that staff will monitor.
Both rezoning items and the conditional-use permit remain at first reading; the council scheduled joint consideration and additional public hearings on Aug. 13.
