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Commission hears mining and mineral-extraction standards proposal, tables for attorney review
Summary
Commissioner David Nelson presented a draft to move surface mining to the I-2 industrial zone and add development standards (setbacks, buffer strips, minimum lot sizes). Members asked legal clarifications and postponed final action to consult the county attorney.
Commissioner David Nelson introduced a draft ordinance proposing to relocate mining and mineral-extraction uses into the county’s I-2 heavy industrial zone and to add development standards aimed at protecting neighbors. After Nelson walked through definitions, setbacks and minimum lot sizes the commission voted to table the measure so attorneys can review key legal and definitional points.
Nelson said the draft was informed by neighboring counties and the state Surface Mining Act. He described a two-tier setback system: a basic minimum setback of 500 feet for mining operations and a 1,000-foot setback where the operation abuts a residentially zoned property or contains an adjacent residence. He also proposed minimum lot sizes of 100 acres for both surface and underground mining to ensure adequate buffers between operations and homes.
"If we're gonna have mining let's put it in our I-two zone which is our heaviest industrial zone," Nelson told the commission, arguing the zoning change would concentrate such uses where industrial infrastructure already exists. Commissioners discussed definitions, delegation of authority, and what parts of mining activity the county could regulate without running afoul of state law.
The commission asked staff to confer with the county attorney to resolve definitional issues and the administration of any bonds or assurances before returning a revised draft at the June meeting. The motion to postpone final approval was approved.
