Rushford Village planning commission weighs allowing living quarters with commercial use for Onstad parcels

The Rushford Village Planning and Zoning Commission on July 15 discussed a potential land purchase and whether limited living quarters could be allowed alongside a business on two Onstad parcels.

Planning and Zoning Administrator Jon Pettit told commissioners CRV received an email from parcel owner Mike Onstad saying he would not attend the meeting and that he was no longer pursuing a change from commercial to commercial/residential for parcels 05.0105.000 and 05.0154.020. Jayme Longmire of CEDA said a prospective buyer, identified in the discussion as Domanick, operates J’s Concrete and lives in Houston; Longmire said he would like to buy the property and was exploring whether space for sleeping and showering could be provided for employees or as temporary living quarters.

Longmire described the potential as a new business and tax base for Rushford Village but cautioned that permitting living quarters with a commercial building could cause regulatory and neighborhood issues. She advised the prospective buyer to prepare formal building plans and to coordinate with Planning and Zoning before purchasing the lots.

Commissioner Gordon Johnson and others pressed on zoning precedent and enforceability. Johnson noted that in the past commercial and residential uses had appeared together on single lots, and questioned whether that pattern could be repeated. Pettit said he was concerned about small, transitional living spaces becoming permanent and noted uncertainty about how problems could be managed if ownership changed in the future. Commissioner Jesse McNamer and Hamilton Petersen echoed questions about scale and the potential for a temporary unit to expand over time.

Members discussed practical site constraints: Johnson observed the lot’s legal frontage and access may not meet a 100-foot frontage standard and noted the owner provided a map showing 33 feet of access; Pettit said sewer hookups and the parcel’s tucked-away location are additional concerns. Commissioners also discussed a short-term option Johnson raised—allowing a camper temporarily during construction—but said any temporary housing would likely have to be time-limited and permitted explicitly.

Commissioner Ebner suggested an alternate location — the field between CRV property and Croell — if that parcel became available. The commission’s working direction was procedural: if the prospective buyer wants to pursue living quarters together with a business, he should submit detailed plans showing how the business and living space would be configured (ideally within a single building) so the commission can evaluate setbacks, access, utilities and nonconforming-use risks. Longmire said she would relay that guidance to the prospective buyer.

No rezoning or permit approvals for mixed commercial-residential use were made at the meeting. The commission agreed the most straightforward path for new business would be to construct a commercial building without residential space unless a compliant plan is presented.