Posted: 8/31/04
Bluff Country project gets green light
Both the board of adjustment and planning commission of Houston County approved Bluff Country LLC requests on August 25.
Their actions mean that work can proceed on the project in section 14 of Brownsville Township.
Developer Michael Sexauer plans to build seven twin homes and two regular homes on the 15-acre site, which currently is a campground owned by Ron and Marlene Levendoski.
Some nearby residents have objected to the plan for aesthetic reasons and with concerns for their water supply and quality.
Board of adjustment members Garland Moe, Norman Oseth, and Tim Orr approved four variances for Bluff Country LLC:
ï Variance for a multi-family dwelling complex to abut a private street instead of a public street.
ï Variance of 25 feet to meet the minimum 75-foot lot width and variance of 3 feet to meet the minimum 125-foot lot depth.
ï Variance of 3,900 square feet to meet the minimum lot area of 10,000 square feet in a residential area.
ï Variance of 15 feet to meet the required 15-foot setback on a side property line in a residential area.
Later in the meeting, the planning commission approved the preliminary plat for the development, and also approved multi-family dwelling units in a residential area.
Commissioners stipulated that lots one, two (which currently has the Levendoski home), and three can only have one single family dwelling on them.
These lots range in size from two to seven acres each. Commissioners did not want someone to come in and try to subdivide these lots, zoning administrator Bob Scanlan said on August 27.
The planning commission items were continued from the July 22 planning commission meeting so that members could get a first-hand look at the site. They did that on August 5, where they also heard concerns from adjacent landowners.
Other approvals
The board of adjustment also approved a variance for Lisa Johnson, Caledonia Township, for a variance of 35 feet on the north side property line and 15 feet on the East side property line to meet the required 50-foot setback requirement from a building to a property line to build a shed.
The planning commission granted three other conditional use permits on August 25:
ï William Heublein, Money Creek Township to build a house on less than 40 acres in an ag district.
ï John and Sherree Koch, Caledonia Township, to operate a dog kennel, with the stipulation that it have a maximum of 15 dogs.
ï Wayne and Chris Houdek, Mayville Township, to build a manure holding basin.
Some tabled, denied, withdrawn
Three conditional use permits did not pass.
ï A request from Liz Danielson, Wilmington Township, to operate a dog kennel was tabled. Commissioners felt they needed more information. The property description didnít include the whole house or well, and there were questions with the septic system. ìWhen you look at it from the planning perspective, itís not a good site,î Bob Scanlan said. He said the commissioners need a survey that shows the exact location of the house and more detailed plans for the septic system.
ï A request from Family Radio, Caledonia Township, to build a communications tower in an ag district was withdrawn because the site was within the flight pattern of the Houston County Airport.
ï A request from Beverly Hanson and Larry Hanson, Yucatan Township to rezone from Ag to Residential was denied based on the fact that the existing structure and lot is in a flood plain, and no information was presented to show where the 100 year flood plain was located. This had been tabled from June so that the Hansons could come up with a plan.
Decisions by the planning commission are recommendations only. The county board must give final approval. Planning commission members at last weekís meeting were David Alstad, Spring Grove; Dave Corcoran, Brownsville; Glenn Kruse, Eitzen; Garland Moe, Caledonia; Terry Rosendahl, Hokah; and Charlie Wieser, La Crescent. Bruce Lee, Houston, was absent.
Board of adjustment decisions do not need full county board approval.
Caledonia Argus
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Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
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