Dickinson County starts comprehensive-plan update; commissioners flag 10-acre minimum as possibly too large

Megan Kardell, Dickinson County Zoning Administrator, told the Planning and Zoning Commission that interviews for a comprehensive-plan consultant are underway and that a second candidate performed well. Kardell said the county issued an RFP and expects the planning process to include interaction with the county's cities and to take around 14–18 months to complete.

Kardell also raised an internal policy question about minimum parcel sizes. She said the county's current minimum acreage is 10 acres and noted that figure is larger than neighboring counties; she suggested that a 5-acre minimum might be a better fit. Zoning Assistant Lee McKim distributed an acreage spreadsheet for commissioners to review. Commissioner Erica Schultes described the second consultant meeting as "stronger and more focused" on assisting the county.

Commissioners agreed to defer any formal change to the minimum-parcel standard until more members are present and to place the topic on a future agenda for further review and possible amendments to Article 5 (Bulk Regulations). No formal motion or vote was taken on acreage at the Feb. 17 meeting.