Posted: 7/3/07
City council will consider variance requests for CJC at July11 hearing
By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
A special public hearing has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 11 by the Caledonia City Council to solicit public input regarding a number of zoning variance requests made by Houston County. The zoning variances are needed for the construction of the criminal justice center (CJC), which is being proposed by the county. The county is also requesting the vacating of a half-block section of both Washington and Marshall streets.
Do to the fact the CJC has become quite a controversial issue, the city decided to review the requests at a special meeting instead of the regularly-scheduled council meeting, which is July 9. And to accommodate the large crowd anticipated, the public hearing will be held in the gymnasium of the Caledonia Municipal Auditorium.
The CJC, which the county plans to construct on the south side of the existing court house in downtown Caledonia, has received considerable opposition. The plans call for an 84,000 square-foot three-story building that would include a 42-bed county jail, courtrooms, offices for the Sheriffís Department, County Attorneyís Office, and Court Services.
After reviewing the current plans, city Zoning Administrator Michael Gerardy and City Administrator Robert Nelson determined those plans are not in compliance with four different zoning laws. The county is seeking variances for the following:
ïA 20 foot setback on the south (front) property line. City ordinance calls for a 30 foot setback, while the CJC plans would locate the building 10 feet from the property line.
ïRequired parking stall dimension are 10 feet wide by 25 feet long. The proposed parking stall dimensions are 9 feet wide by 18 feet long, requiring variances of one foot on width and seven feet on length.
ïVariance on number of parking stalls required from 590 spaces to 179, as specified by the plans.
ïA variance on exceeding the 35 foot building height limitation by 10 feet to a height of 45 feet.
The street vacation requests are:
ïA half-block portion of Washing Street from the west right of way line of Pine Street westward to the Courthouse Square.
ïA half-block portion of Marshall Street from the north right of way line of South Street northward to the Courthouse Square.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com