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Buffalo County denies rezoning of 17.56-acre parcel near Riverdale after public hearing
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Summary
After a public hearing with multiple residents speaking for and against the proposal, the Buffalo County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Jan. 28 to deny a request to rezone a 17.56-acre parcel from Agricultural-Residential to Commercial (Resolution 2025-04).
The Buffalo County Board of Commissioners voted Jan. 28 to deny a zoning map amendment that would have rezoned about 17.56 acres near Riverdale from Agricultural‑Residential to Commercial.
The vote followed a public hearing continued from Dec. 23, 2024. Craig A. Bennett of Miller & Associates submitted the application on behalf of property owners Mark H. Meyer and C. Jayne (Claudia) Meyer and Loren Bakko, manager of Bakko Land, L.L.C. The board received public comment from residents both for and against the change. After the hearing closed at 10:52 a.m., Commissioner Ronald Loeffelholz moved and Commissioner Daniel Lynch seconded a motion to deny the amendment; the motion passed on a roll call vote with all seven commissioners voting “Aye.”
The applicant had amended the original request before the Jan. 28 meeting, reducing the area to roughly 17.56 acres. The application described plans for a repair facility for hay‑grinding equipment of about 30,000 square feet and estimated roughly nine full‑time positions, with an anticipated increase in semi‑mounted grinder truck traffic to “one to three trucks entering or exiting the property each day of operation.” The County Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval on Nov. 21, 2024 by a 6–1 vote with a condition requiring a minimum setback of 90 feet from the centers of Cotton Mill Avenue and 100th Street.
Opponents at the hearing pointed to traffic and safety concerns on Cotton Mill Road, which connects U.S. Highway 30 and State Highway 40 and lacks turning lanes, and to the county’s recently adopted Comprehensive Plan. The board’s findings in Resolution 2025‑04 stated that the proposed commercial use would intensify traffic on Cotton Mill Road, would not conform to the Comprehensive Plan and related zoning guidance, and therefore was not in the public interest. The resolution also recited local GIS and planning data, the Commission’s record, and details of the amended legal description of the subject tract.
The denial reverses the Commission’s favorable recommendation and formalizes the board’s conclusion that the amendment ran counter to the planning documents and local roadway capacity considerations. Commissioners who spoke during deliberations cited the County’s Comprehensive Plan and road‑use impacts as key reasons for the decision.
The board adopted Resolution 2025‑04 denying the amendment; a copy will be filed with county records. No appeal or subsequent procedural action was announced at the meeting. The Board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Feb. 11, 2025.