Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Rezoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Citizen warns county rezoning could block dam access; committee schedules further consideration
Summary
A resident urged the St. Croix County Community Development Committee to formally oppose a proposed rezoning in the Village of North Hudson, saying new residential development on the Trestle Bridge parcel could block county access to a dam and "harm the public health, safety, and general welfare." The committee discussed ownership, easements and will place a resolution on a future agenda.
A resident testifying at the St. Croix County Community Development Committee’s Dec. 18 meeting urged the county to formally weigh in on a Village of North Hudson rezoning that she said could interfere with county maintenance and emergency access to a nearby dam.
“If this rezoning is approved, it will negatively affect — it will harm the public health, safety, and general welfare,” said a public commenter who identified herself as Celeste, noting the property subject to the rezoning abuts county-owned parcels and contains the Trestle Bridge property that provides the only route to the impoundment on the Willow River.
Celeste told the committee she provided a Saint Croix County GIS map in writing to show the relationship of three parcels and stressed that county ownership interest (in some cases shared ownership) creates a duty to protect access for maintenance, repairs and emergency response.
Staff updated the committee that the Village of North Hudson planning commission recently recommended rezoning the south railroad parcel to an RM-1 low-density multifamily designation and proposed a comprehensive-plan amendment to guide the parcel as conservancy, commercial and residential. Committee members noted some county parcels around the site were acquired as part of the dam project and that title and easement documents in the 1960s are complicated.
Supervisors pressed staff about legal access: staff said historic documents indicate some access rights, and that the city of Hudson performs dam maintenance as the operational lead while the county is a financial partner. Staff also said the proposed developer has indicated it would allow access, but that detailed access guarantees typically appear in development plans rather than zoning actions.
Committee members said the matter warrants further consideration and instructed staff to place a resolution opposing the railroad-properties rezoning on a future agenda for fuller discussion and possible action.
What’s next: The committee added a resolution opposing the rezoning to future agenda items and scheduled further review of communications with village and city officials to clarify easement and access protections.
