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Mercer County Planning Commission unanimously approves two conditional uses and two gravel permits; requires DOT sign-off on one zoning case
Summary
At its April 8 meeting in Beulah the commission approved two conditional non-farm residences, granted two temporary gravel-pit permits with conditions, and amended approval of a prior zoning case to require final State DOT approval before county commission action.
BEULAH, N.D. — The Mercer County Planning Commission on April 8 approved multiple zoning actions and temporary-use permits, including two conditional uses for non-farm residences and two temporary gravel-pit permits, and added a State Department of Transportation approval requirement to a separate zoning case.
The commission voted unanimously to approve Zoning Case 26-04-01, an application by Warren and Jodie Woroniecki for a conditional use to place a non-farm residence on a 2.04-acre parcel located about 19 miles south and 3 miles west of Zap. Warren Woroniecki told the board the family is moving away from the main yard and that neighbors around the parcel are family members.
The commission also approved Zoning Case 26-04-02 for Kris and Nicole Martens, authorizing a non-farm residence on a 10-acre parcel roughly 4.5 miles north of Beulah. The Martens’ site had an earlier 2021 approval that was never developed; they provided a new septic approval from Western Plains Public Health, and Eslinger reminded them of the two-year window to begin construction.
On Temporary Use Permit #671 Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. sought approval for a gravel pit on approximately 20 acres seven miles north of Golden Valley (landowner Riley Schriefer). Company representatives Vent Wallace and Brian Reisenauer said test holes encountered mostly clay at about 15 feet and that they do not plan to excavate deeper than roughly 12–15 feet, asserting no expectation of reaching groundwater. The commission added conditions including weed control, water-board approval where required, a bond amount to be set by the County Commissioners (scheduled for April 15), daylight-hours operations, and a requirement that the operator maintain roads in good or better condition. The motion to add conditions passed by unanimous roll call.
A second permit under the same Temporary Use Permit #671 was considered for an existing pit on a fraction of the N2 in Section 7 (landowner Glenn Martin), approximately seven miles north of Zap. The commission applied the same prior-approval conditions and approved the permit by unanimous vote.
Other business included final action on Zoning Case 26-03-01 after a water-board review yielded a stipulation. Mr. Santos (an applicant representative) said the state did not require a traffic study and provided guidance on how to widen the approach. Commissioner Bauman moved to amend the approval to require final State DOT sign-off and for the item to be presented to the County Commission; the amendment carried by roll call. The commission then approved the zoning case with that amendment.
Chairman Mike Eslinger also reported that a March 31 subcommittee working on a Data Center Ordinance made good progress and announced two upcoming meetings: April 14 at 9 a.m. at the Stanton Courthouse and an evening session May 5 at 6 p.m. at the courthouse.
What happens next: bond and related conditions for the gravel permits will be set by County Commissioners at their April 15 meeting; any substantive local permit or ordinance steps related to data centers will return to the planning commission for review.
