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Hinckley planning commission forwards General Plan update to council with conditions
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Summary
After a public hearing, the Hinckley Planning and Zoning Commission voted to send the draft General Plan and Future Land Use Map to the Town Council with conditions to correct clerical errors, reconcile income figures, and avoid adopting zone numbers before ordinances are finalized.
The Hinckley Planning and Zoning Commission on Feb. 17 voted to forward a draft General Plan and revised Future Land Use Map to the Hinckley Town Council with conditions, after a public hearing that featured both support and opposition from local property owners.
Commission Chairman Joe Taylor opened the hearing to public comment at 7:06 p.m. Several residents spoke for and against aspects of the draft. Property owner Nathan Crop told the commission that a 3-acre parcel he purchased in 2023 is currently zoned General Commercial and that a proposed change to R‑1 would, in his view, "downgrade" the property’s value and limit business options. By contrast, Michael Zurn urged the commission to include higher-density residential options (R‑2, R‑3 and R‑4), saying duplexes and multi-family housing would increase affordability and help stabilize the tax base.
The commission’s discussion focused on drafting issues rather than final ordinance language. Members identified clerical errors (including a misspelling of Commissioner Margene Stevens’s name), and flagged inconsistent median household income figures in the draft — the document lists both $80,500 and $52,000 in different sections. Commissioner Joy Partridge also objected to the plan’s early reference to zone labels that have not been adopted in town code, saying the town risked "putting the cart before the horse" by naming R‑2 through R‑4 before ordinances are written.
Commissioner Clark Mortensen moved to forward the General Plan draft to the Town Council with three conditions: correct spelling and clerical errors; replace specific zone numbers with general descriptions until ordinances are drafted and adopted; and ensure the Future Land Use Map is included in the transmitted materials. Commissioner Margene Stevens seconded the motion. A roll-call vote recorded Joy Partridge — yes; Margene Stevens — yes; Clark Mortensen — yes; Joe Taylor — yes.
The commission’s recommendation is advisory: the Town Council will receive the revised draft and is scheduled to consider it during subsequent hearings and ordinance work sessions. The clerk also noted the town will preserve the vision-character role of the General Plan while drafting implementing ordinances that define specific zone standards.
Next steps: the General Plan and the updated Future Land Use Map will be transmitted to the Town Council for further review and for ordinance drafting to implement the plan’s general recommendations.