Rushford Village commission reviews Clauson access dispute and developer Bunke’s progress on new subdivision

The Rushford Village Planning and Zoning Commission on May 20 addressed a property-line dispute involving property owner Rodney Clauson, and heard a development update from Vern Bunke on access, logging and septic planning for the Rushford Village project.

Commissioner Gordon Johnson raised questions about activity at the Clauson property after Administrator Jon Pettit reported that Clauson has erected a fence and placed a portable building on the lot. Pettit said permits had been obtained for the portable building and that the building must be set back at least 10 feet from the side property line. Johnson noted a utility easement in the backyard for a sewer and grinder pump and questioned whether a fence may be placed in an easement. Pettit responded that the CRV ordinance allows fences in easements but that the village reserves the right to access the easement and would not be liable for damage to a fence if access were required. Pettit also said a painted line marks the property line and that Clauson has placed a sawhorse and sometimes his pickup on the property line where vehicles enter Brown's Tire to discourage entry.

In other business, Vern Bunke reported he is working with an engineer and attorney Skip Weiser of La Crescent and is preparing to reapply to MnDOT for an access off Highway 16. Bunke estimated the access would be on the northeast corner of the cemetery, about 800 feet from the Highway 16 and Highway 43 junction, and would run east and up the slope; he said he owns the surrounding land needed for the access. Bunke said the engineer must finish design work and that a previous DNR approval for residential use had required similar conditions. Bunke said logging of old, mature black oak trees is nearly complete (about 2.5 days remaining) and that he has been working on septic arrangements, hoping to secure a single provider for the entire project rather than individual systems for each lot. He said percolation tests carried out a couple of years ago had 'perked' satisfactorily but that final septic type (regular vs. mound) has not been determined.

Pettit also reported repeated realtor inquiries about a parcel known as Chapel Field (along Highway 43, Hayes Street and Meadow Ave). Pettit said the property is zoned residential and may include areas eligible for commercial zoning, that it lies in the sewer and water district, and that parts of the parcel sit in a floodplain and on a hillside; these conditions affect its platting and future uses.

The commission also recorded new permit applications including several residential accessory structures (chicken coop, greenhouse, portable building, gazebo, deck) and approved the meeting agenda and prior minutes before adjourning at 6:29 p.m.