Fillmore County Planning Commission recommends expanding airport hazard overlay and updates zoning maps

The Fillmore County Planning Commission voted unanimously on Jan. 19, 2015, to recommend an amendment to Section 5.12 (AHO Airport Hazard Overlay District Regulations) that would extend the overlay area along runway approach zones beyond the existing 3-mile radius, and to recommend updated official zoning maps for Fillmore County and the Village of Fairmont.

The amendment, presented at the public hearing, would extend the overlay 'from a 3 miles radius of the airport structure' to cover approach zones reaching approximately 10 miles north and south of the Fairmont Airport runway edge. Commissioners and staff said the change would require parallel amendments to both county and village regulations and updated map revisions to reflect the larger approach zone.

Commissioners moved to close the public hearing and then approved three related motions: recommending the AHO amendment to the county zoning regulations, recommending the revised Fillmore County official zoning map, and recommending the Fairmont zoning ordinance amendment and its updated map. All motions passed by recorded unanimous votes (5-0 as recorded in the minutes).

The change will require the county zoning office to update official maps and village codes where applicable. The minutes note maps will be revised and the county and village zoning regulations will be amended to reflect the new AHO boundaries, but do not specify an effective date or implementation timetable. The commission did not record any formal appeals or unresolved objections during the hearing.

Procedural next steps recorded in the minutes indicate the commission recommended the amendments to the relevant legislative bodies; further action (ordinance adoption or effective dates) will occur in subsequent county or village legislative proceedings.