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St. Joseph planners approve land‑use changes for Sisters of St. Benz monastery campus
Summary
The St. Joseph Planning Commission on Jan. 12 approved a future land‑use amendment, rezoning and preliminary plat to consolidate multiple outlots into a roughly 253‑acre site for a new monastery campus proposed by the Sisters of St. Benz; final plat approval and easement dedications are required next.
The St. Joseph Planning Commission voted Jan. 12 to approve a three‑part land‑use package to consolidate several outlots and allow construction of a new monastery campus proposed by the Sisters of St. Benz.
Planning staff presented maps and a project overview, saying the project "entails three separate actions this evening" — a future land‑use amendment, a rezoning and a preliminary plat — intended to combine five or six outlots into a single contiguous parcel roughly 253 acres in size, and to make the zoning consistent for an educational/ecological campus, Planning staff member Nate said.
The commission opened and closed public hearings on each item with no speakers and approved the future land‑use amendment (resolution PC 20261), the rezoning and the preliminary plat by voice votes. Staff told commissioners that the approvals are contingent on final‑plat submittal and that easements for drainage and utilities will be required as part of the final plat.
Staff described current guidance for the outlots (several guided for "community oriented mixed use," others zoned R‑1, B‑3 or rural residential) and said the consolidated parcel would be guided to an educational/ecological designation to accommodate the chapel, living quarters and related uses. Staff also walked commissioners through a preliminary plat and maps showing the proposed building location and the lot consolidation outline.
Commissioners asked a few procedural questions during the presentation; no members of the public spoke on the project during the hearing. Nate advised that, pending the commission’s approvals, the applicant’s next step is a city‑council action scheduled for the following Tuesday and thereafter submission of a final plat addressing the easement and utility requirements.
The commission’s approval moves the project forward in the local review process but does not complete final plat recording or building approvals; staff must still confirm the final‑plat easements and conditions before the land can be formally consolidated and developed.
