Commissioners give first reading to Greenway rezoning for Naturian West wetland mitigation bank

Consultants appearing for Naturian West LLC described a proposal May 19 to rezone three parcels to Greenway zoning so the land can be restored from agricultural use to wetlands and prairie and sold as wetland mitigation credits. The plan commission had earlier recommended the rezoning unanimously.

Consultant Tom Slowinski (B3) explained that the project would restore roughly 109 acres of wetlands and prairie and is designed to produce approximately 80 mitigation credits that can be used to offset unavoidable impacts to wetlands on permitted development projects. He said the design has been reviewed by the interagency review team (including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and state agencies) and that IDEM and DNR permits and a flood‑plain certificate were part of the permitting process.

Staff and consultants said the restored parcels would be placed under a conservation easement and managed in perpetuity by a land trust; the easement was described as running with the land and enforceable against future owners. Commissioners asked about public access (consultants said none is planned), hunting limitations (commercial hunting prohibited under the conservation easement), and how long it will take to meet performance standards (designers estimated 5–10 years, with the common expectation that performance standards can be met in roughly five years).

The commissioners approved first reading for the three parcels and directed staff to prepare the combined motion for second reading on June 2. Commissioners and staff emphasized the Greenway zoning would add an additional layer of protection to the conservation easement.