Changes were made to the County’s Land Use and Zoning Ordinance. The Board held two public hearings on the ordinance changes, one in November and the second Jan. 27. Numerous people attended both meetings. The number one issue of concern to most persons was the amount of residential development currently allowed in agriculturally zoned districts. Under the new ordinance, farmers can apply manure up to the property line, unless they irrigate. Previously, the setback was 50 or 400 feet, depending on how the manure was applied. This will allow feedlot operators to have sufficient manure management areas. Although some Planning Commission members had wanted cluster developments to be reduced to only a 25 percent residential density bonus, that allotment will stay at 50 percent. The new ordinance adds some restrictions on development. If the area is zoned A-40, there will only be one residential dwelling on that 40 acres; if it’s an R-10, only one house will be allowed for every 10 acres. Currently in an A-40 zoning district it’s possible for someone to take a 40-acre piece of land and split it, allowing for a home on each piece of the split. Then, if they decide to use cluster development, they could add one more home to that lot, for a total of three homes on that 40 acres in an A-40 zoning district. For all future plats or developments where one acre or more of soil will be disturbed, a section now exists in the ordinance to keep the county in compliance with new federal stormwater regulations. When wetlands or land under the ordinary high water level (OHWL) are involved with an area of development, land under the OHWL and wetlands categorized types 3, 4 or 5, whether drained or undrained, cannot be figured in as total acreage for development purposes. For example, if someone has a 40-acre parcel of land in an R-10 District and 30 acres is wetland, only one residence will be allowed on that piece of property. This section of the ordinance has a sunset clause, set to expire in one year. The Board agreed to the sunset clause to encourage the Environmental Services Department to re-work this part of the ordinance. Along with the ordinance changes, the Board also adopted a one-year moratorium on cluster development in agricultural zones and on TDRs (Transfer of Development Rights) in all zones. A moratorium is a temporary halt to a particular activity while the County studies that activity and comes up with new ordinance language to adequately address issues of concern. Dairy Day set Stearns County once again plans to recognize its dairy farmers by holding a second annual Dairy Day event during Dairy Month in June. The celebration is planned for Monday, June 21, 2004, and will be held in the County’s Administration Building, downtown St. Cloud. Booths will be set up in the rotunda area and dairy products will be made available to the public. Cliff Mitchell from KASM will be doing a live radio show from 10-11 a.m. Legislators and public officials have been invited to attend. The public is also encouraged to stop in. In addition to recognizing dairy operators, the goal is to also further educate the general public about dairy production in Stearns County. The county held its first Dairy Day event last year and it was very successful. The celebration is supported by the Stearns County Dairy Advisory Committee, Feedlot Review Committee and Minnesota Milk Producers Association. Emergency communications The Board of Commissioners agreed to move ahead with a project that would update communication tools for thecounty’s emergency responders. Stearns County accepted a $3 million state grant that would begin the process of preparing the county for hook-up to the state’s 800-MHz telecommunications network. Currently, emergency personnel use phones or radio systems that can be unreliable during an emergency and don’t allow responders to communicate with others outside their agency. For example, there isn’t the capability for Stearns County deputies to talk with the St. Cloud Fire Department. This often is the single most important problem during a disaster or emergency. As Larry Haws, Stearns County Commissioner, said, “We need a system that operates under stress.” In Stearns County, there are five radio communications towers that serve 15 police departments, 26 fire departments and four ambulance services. The state’s 800- MHz system allows all responders statewide the capability to talk with each other. This $3 million grant will cover some initial costs to build the basic infrastructure and upgrade the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center equipment. There will be additional costs as the County continues to switch over to this system; the county hopes to receive more grants in the future to cover these expenses. The Federal Communications Commission is moving toward this type of system for public safety; eventually every county in the nation will have to be a part of the 800-MHz system. Lake Koronis Trail The Board of Commissioners voted to put the Lake Koronis Trail as their number one trail priority. The County’s action will allow the Lake Koronis Trail Committee to pursue TEA-21 federal grant dollars to complete the project, which runs 2.3 miles from the city of Paynesville to the city beach on Lake Koronis’ north side. Last year Paynesville Township completed Phase II of the Trail, 1 1/2 miles of trail on the lake’s west side. The long-range goal is for this trail to run 12 miles around the lake and to eventually tie into the State Glacial Lakes Trail. Also on the trail priority list for the Board is a pedestrian/ bikeway trail in downtown Rockville and an addition to the Lake Wobegon Trail which will connect Sauk Centre to the Todd County line. All three projects will be submitted for the TEA-21 funding. Stearns County received an award Tuesday recognizing the County as a Patriotic Employer.The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve presented the award. It thanks the County for supporting employee participation in America’s National Guard and Reserve Force. Several County employees have been called to active duty in recent months.
Stearns County makes changes to land use ordinances
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