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Committee discusses adding outside-storage rules to zoning ordinance amid contamination and property-value concerns
Summary
Members asked staff to draft ordinance language to address "unofficial junkyards" and long-term outside storage of vehicles and machinery after neighbors cited environmental and property-value concerns near the Pine River; staff will work with corporation counsel on enforceable language that does not penalize legitimate farm storage.
The Richland County Natural Resources Standing Committee discussed proposed zoning-ordinance language on April 6 to address long-term outside storage of vehicles, farm machinery and similar material that community members called 'unofficial junkyards.'
Committee members and staff said current ordinance language does not give clear tools for addressing large accumulations of inoperable equipment and old vehicles. One committee member described a problem site with equipment in a floodplain and potential contamination risks to the Pine River, and another commented, "And and we're talking maybe 75 pieces of equipment," to illustrate the scale of some complaints. Staff said they had received multiple township complaints and recommended drafting a targeted section on outside storage to avoid treating legitimate farm storage as a violation.
The packet included example language from neighboring counties (Iowa County) and staff recommended working with corporation counsel to craft wording that can be enforced without overreaching. The committee asked staff to coordinate with counsel, return with recommended language and bring the draft back for public hearing and eventual county-board consideration.
Members recognized competing interests: community neighbors urged action for public-health and property-value reasons, while producers noted farm operations sometimes require outdoor equipment storage. The committee asked for language that differentiates regularly used farm equipment from material that has been stationary for multiple years.
Next steps: staff will draft ordinance language with corporation counsel and present it at a future meeting for committee review and public hearing scheduling.
