Valley County workshop outlines riparian overlay, BMP requirements and plan for engineering-fee collection

At a Valley County workshop, staff described proposed countywide changes to land-use rules that would add a riparian-area overlay triggering within 150 feet of the high-water line of any water body and require a 50-foot setback and stormwater management plans with BMPs for projects in that zone. Staff also explained how the county plans to collect engineering-review fees through the county engineer's invoicing process and clarified that the fees are intended to reimburse documented services.

The draft code would expand the definition of lot coverage to include impervious areas such as patios, walkways and driveways, "anything that will shed the water," Speaker 3 said, so those surfaces count toward lot coverage limits. Speaker 3 said projects in riparian areas will likely require engineered BMP plans "in probably 90% of the cases," and that…