Stewartville council approves lot split, next-phase plan for Schumann Business Park and $19,370 planning contract

Stewartville — The Stewartville City Council on Monday approved a request to split a Schumann Business Park parcel and endorsed a general development plan for the next phase of that business park, while also authorizing a consultant contract to update parts of the city zoning code and adopting two administrative policy revisions.

Craig Britton, a civil engineer with Wood South, told the council the lot split is intended to "create a separate parcel for that property on the West side of Schumann Drive" so that development can proceed on the west tract, which currently shares a single tax identification with the parcel east of Schumann Drive. The planning commission held a public hearing on June 4 and recommended approval of the lot split; council members approved the measure by voice vote.

City engineer Oberto Note described the general development plan (GDP) as an early step to show how future infrastructure would connect to adjacent parcels. He said the plan includes an 80-foot right-of-way on the property’s south side to connect Schumann Drive to the west property line and shows sanitary sewer (in green) and water (in blue) extensions to serve the new lot. After council discussion and confirmation that review comments were addressed, the council approved the GDP by voice vote.

Council also approved a professional planning services agreement with SEH Incorporated to prepare revised manufactured-home-park standards. The staff report lists the estimated project cost as $19,370 and says the city will be billed on a time-and-materials basis; council moved and approved the contract.

In other business, the council adopted updated language for the city’s purchasing and clothing-allowance policy, which incorporates recommended wording from the League of Minnesota Cities guidance, and approved an updated water and sewer billing policy that clarifies two substantive points in current practice: water personnel no longer perform after-hours turn-ons, and the document’s procedural language was modernized. Both policy updates were adopted by voice vote.

Mayor Jimmy John King opened the meeting with routine announcements and condolences and staff gave regular department updates, including a public-works update on CIP progress and a fire-department report noting ongoing grant applications for radios and SCBA equipment.