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Residents raise road and housing concerns as commission hears rezoning request for 136-acre tract
Summary
Bob Law asked the Yankton County Commission to rezone about 136 acres from R1 to R2 to allow smaller lots and potential affordable housing; a nearby resident urged caution over gravel-road safety, dust, sight lines and past trailer-house incidents. The matter was taken as a first reading; no final action was taken.
At a first reading on April 7, the Yankton County Commission considered a rezoning request by Bob Law to change roughly 136 acres from low-density rural residential (R1) to moderate-density rural residential (R2) near Highway 314 and Timberland Drive.
Planning staff described how R2 zoning would allow smaller lot sizes (the staff noted R2’s minimum of about 40,000 square feet per lot, or roughly 0.9 acres) and pointed out the parcel’s proximity to the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. The applicant, Bob Law, was present while staff displayed maps and noted the blue drainage line bisecting the site.
Holly Kellen, who identified herself as a resident at 2808 West 23rd Street, urged commissioners to consider road safety and housing type before approving a higher density. “While I’m not opposed to affordable housing, I am concerned about the road being able to handle the additional traffic,” Kellen said, citing dust on the gravel road, low-visibility corners at Timberland and 23rd, and incidents involving trailers and stuck vehicles in winter. She also expressed concern about enforcement: she said trailer homes have appeared there in the past and questioned how the county would prevent another trailer park.
County staff and commissioners responded that single-family dwellings would be a permitted use under either R1 or R2 and that trailer homes and multi-family developments would require a conditional use permit and additional hearings. Commissioners acknowledged the demand for affordable housing in Yankton but said road improvements and other infrastructure concerns would need separate consideration and could not be resolved by rezoning alone. The commission indicated rezoning could facilitate smaller lots similar to nearby development but noted covenants and homeowners’ associations may privately restrict trailers.
Because this was first reading, the commission did not take final action and scheduled the matter for further consideration at a future meeting. Residents were told they would have further opportunities to comment when subsequent hearings are scheduled.
