By David Heiller

Argus News Editor

The Houston County Board was upheld a planning commission decision denying the rezoning of part of a golf course from agricultural to residential on February 8.

The boardís motion came after developer Jack Edwards asked county commissioners to approve the rezoning at Valley High Country Club between Houston and Hokah.

Attorney Tim Murphy, representing homeowners who live near Valley High, spoke against the idea. About 15 of those people sat in the commissionersí room in the basement of the courthouse in Caledonia.

It was a shortened version of the hearing before the planning commission on January 27, when commissioners rejected the plan by a 6-1 vote. About a dozen people spoke out against the plan then.

Zoning administrator Bob Scanlan first explained to the county board why both the board of adjustment and the planning commission denied motions on the golf course development.

The board of adjustment denied a variance of 1,530 feet to meet the required half-mile setback for a new subdivision based on three of the eight requirements in the criteria for granting a variance, Scanlan said.

Edwards started to question the decision, but county environmental services director Rick Frank said the board of adjustmentís decision is final, and objections to it would have to come from the applicant through district court.

Scanlan then explained the planning commissionís three reasons for denying the request, which would have allowed for the building of six homes on half-acre lots on the course. They reasons were:

ï The closeness of the fairway to the proposed new residential lots cause a concern for the safety of the homeowners.

ï There are surface water problems that exist on the proposed lots.

ï There was inadequate information to ensure that lot sizes would accommodate a second septic system site as required.

Edwards, who is part of Coulee Region Management, which applied for the rezoning, said he would enlarge the lots to one acre each, making a total of seven lots. ìIf we could change it to acre lots, I think it would work for everyone,î he said.

Edwards said Coulee Region Management was not planning to close the golf course. But he feels the decision penalizes his company, which bought 150 acres yet doesnít have the ability to develop six or seven lots.

Murphy repeated the issues that citizens spoke about on January 27, such as drainage, lot size, and well and septic concerns. ìWe ask that you reaffirm the planning commissionís recommendations,î he said. Citizens are concerned with the integrity of the course, Murphy added.

Second district commissioner Kevin Kelleher said the safety issue was not as big a concern to him as the two that related to drainage and septic systems.

Fourth district commissioner Dave Corcoran, who also serves on the planning commission, noted that the public sometimes gets mad at the board. But the board was just following the rules and process, he said. ìItís not that we pick and choose.î

After the discussion ended, Scanlan suggested that the board review its land use plan, which hasnít been updated in more than a decade. Rick Frank, the county environmental services director, agreed with that idea. He said the board should look at each township separately and get input from township officials and the public. Commissioners said that was a good idea.

Other zoning decisions

After the golf course discussion, the board approved the other planning commission decisions from January 27. They included:

ï Craig Kellstrom, Houston Township, rezone from Ag to Residential. On January 27, the board of adjustment also approved a variance of Kellstrom of 1,530 feet to meet the required 2,640-foot half-mile setback for a new subdivision from a feedlot.

ï Ted Goessling, Crooked Creek Township, build a house on less than 40 acres in an Ag District.

ï Ryan and Sarah Herman, Wilmington Township, build a house on less than 40 acres in an Ag District.

The planning commission tabled an application by Jared Solum, Spring Grove Township to build a house on less than 40 acres in an Ag District. This was an after-the-fact permit.

Scanlan said it was tabled so that planning commissioners could look at it. They plan to do this on February 16.

Kelleher said the county board does not like to see after-the-fact permits. He added that a contractor who did work on it without a permit is equally responsible and state authorities should be alerted to this. Itís possible the homeowner didnít know about the permitting process, Kelleher said, but the contractor should have known about it.

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