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City considers vacating street for Hills business

By
Mavis Fodness

A public hearing Tuesday will determine if the city of Hills vacates a portion of East 5th Street for a proposed storage shed.
The hearing begins at 6 p.m. during the Hills City Council’s monthly meeting at the city hall.
Earlier this year, owners of Hills Storage Center requested a building permit to construct a 40-by-187-foot storage facility.
That permit was rescinded at the council’s April 13 meeting at the request of storage owners Ross Metzger and Kelly Leuthold. Metzger, a city council member, did not vote.
Leuthold said at the April 13 meeting that when finalizing the storage building’s placement, the leveled elevation placed the 14-foot-tall building too close to an existing power line.
The highline pole, located south of the storage building’s location, could not be moved or raised.
Shifting the building to the north, while meeting setback requirements from the power line, meant it would be located on what city founders intended to be a portion East 5th Street, according to plat documents.
“Nobody knew there was a street there,” said Hills Mayor Keith Elbers.
When rescinding the original building permit, council members decided against selling the property to Metzger and Leuthold.
After considering options, the council decided that vacating a street that was never built was the best option.
Metzger and Leuthold agreed to pay for any fees associated with vacating and re-platting the area.
Elbers estimated that the area to be vacated stretched about a half block in length.

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