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Fick rezone approved; some ground exempt

Lead Summary
By
Mavis Fodness

A portion of a planned rezoning request was granted Tuesday, Sept. 5, in action taken by the Rock County Commissioners.
In a unanimous roll call vote, commissioners supported keeping about 28 acres in Luverne Township Section 15 zoned for general agriculture use.
Commissioners originally requested the entire 108-acre parcel located south of Luverne rezoned to general industry.
However, property owner Ron Fick countered with the exclusion request at the Aug. 28 public hearing conducted by the Rock County Planning Commission.
The commission supported the exclusion and recommended to the commissioners the rezoning of a smaller portion (about 80 acres) of the property to general industry.
Land Management Office Director Eric Hartman said six people attended the public hearing, asking general questions about the zoning. He said when a township representative asked a question about residential housing, Fick requested the exclusion.
No residential housing is permitted on property zoned general industry but housing is permitted on property zoned general agriculture, said County Attorney Don Klosterbuer.
“Leaving that as an A-2 allows uses that would not be consistent with future industrial uses,” he said.
Commissioners initiated the rezoning request at their Aug. 8 meeting to accelerate the rezoning process.
The rezoning would allow the potential for a pre-cast concrete manufacturer to locate on a portion of Luverne Township Section 15. Gravel mining is currently permitted and is actively taking place.
To accommodate both uses, the rezoning request was submitted.
No one spoke out against the rezoning request.
However, Hartman read a letter of concern from the Christensen Corporation of Denver, Colorado, who owns land north and west of Shopko.
“As an adjacent property owner with shared boundary lines, we will be most impacted by the activity on the subject property,” stated secretary Jolene VerSteeg. “We have not had adequate time to retain an engineer to conduct a drainage study to determine this impact.”
The concern was noted and discussed by the planning commission at the public hearing.
The permitted gravel mining has changed the topography of the property and environmental concerns have lessened.
“As the gravel has been mined from Mr. Fick’s property, there is less water running through Sater’s Creek from the Fick property,” Hartman said.
Commissioners concluded the excluded 28 acres would not affect future industry plans on the remaining 80 acres and accepted the zoning committee’s recommendation.

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