HomeMy WebLinkAboutJJCMinutes_2018_05_23Minutes of the Joint Jurisdiction Committee
05/23/18
Chairperson Mary Kidwiler called the meeting to order. Committee members Kidwiler,
Mike Struck, Robert Hill, Lee Ann Pierce, Duane Knutson, Mike Bartley, Scott Mohror
and Greg Fargen were present. Others in attendance were Luke Muller and Thomas
Nealon with First District Association of Local Governments, Brookings County
Commission Department Director Stacy Steffensen, and Al Kurtenbach.
A quorum was determined to be present.
Pierce moved/Knutson seconded that the agenda for the May 23, 2018 Joint
Jurisdiction Committee meeting be approved. Motion carried.
Struck moved/Bartley seconded that the minutes from the April 25, 2018 Joint
Jurisdiction Committee meeting be approved as presented. Motion carried.
Struck said he and Hill have met with a couple mining companies, and they continue to
research best practices and other topics. They hope to schedule a meeting with the
mining companies and other interested individuals soon.
Al Kurtenbach discussed the area in the joint jurisdiction east of Interstate 29. He said
he’s been in that area for 45 years with Daktronics and there are now 61 businesses in
that area. Kurtenbach said they need to look another 45 years into the future and he
believes a 10 square mile area between Aurora and Bushnell is an area for potential
growth. He believes 213th Street and 214th Street between Brookings and Aurora will be
paved roads 40 years from now. He said 214th Street is a significant school route now.
Kurtenbach asked to be placed on a future agenda to give a more thorough
presentation.
Muller reviewed the discussion from the April 25th meeting. He also reviewed how
several other counties and communities handle residential or subdivision-type
development in their joint jurisdictional areas. Struck said Sioux Falls is dealing with
rural subdivisions they now want to annex and the cost burden of bringing the utilities in
those areas to city standards. Muller said Brookings will want a more coordinated plan
and review process.
Muller posed the question if residential developments, greater than one house per 35
acres, should be encouraged in the joint jurisdictional area; and if so, how and where.
Kidwiler said they need to be careful; she is set on requiring urban standards for
developments. Struck said there may be areas where they can’t achieve urban
standards, and the potential may be there to allow subdivision development. Knutson
said in specifying an area they run into the issue of where it starts and where it stops.
He questioned if they aren’t setting themselves up for a battle.
Pierce said she believes they all agree that the urban reserve area noted in the city’s
comp plan north of the city should be left alone. She also said the well-head area
should be left alone. However, Pierce said there are areas to the south where there is
potential to have developments of less than 10 acres; areas the city will never develop.
She said there are roads they could use to define these areas.
Muller said they need to have answers on why they choose to make certain rules. He
said they are ultimately choosing winners and losers in this process and they need to be
firm on the ‘why.’ Knutson said they need rules that are understood by the masses.
Pierce said the ‘why’ is the fact that the city has limited growth potential and they are
restricting options on the types of quality of life people are looking for. She believes
there are affordable options that could open up opportunities in the joint jurisdictional
area.
Struck asked why Pierce wants to see these types of developments in the joint
jurisdictional area. Pierce said the county’s objective is to protect agriculture. She said
agriculture has smells and other disadvantages; but the joint jurisdictional area is a
transitional area between the city and the county.
Struck said he doesn’t believe the lots will be affordable. He said he thinks the lots will
be more expensive than lots in town are now. Kidwiler said acreages aren’t cheap and
that lifestyle isn’t cheap. She said she knows that people want to live close to town, but
live in the country. Kidwiler said they can’t do that though with the limited land that is
available. Bartley said the land in question isn’t desirable land to build on either. Struck
said someone could build the land up to build a home, but it isn’t going to be affordabl e.
He suggested creating a minimum number of acres someone must own to be able to
make a rezoning request.
Kidwiler said they cannot provide everything for everyone. Pierce said they could make
the rules as least restrictive as possible and let adults a nd their financial advisors make
a determination.
Fargen said he can live with people building on less than 35 acres, but they should have
to build to city standards and those developments must easily tie into the city’s
infrastructure. Struck said they also have to consider transportation requirements that
may put a burden on township roads or raise dust issues. He said as the city is
growing, the biggest problem is trying to move south. Struck said he doesn’t want to
encourage more problems. Pierce said she believes they can identify land that is not in
the growth area of the city and provide options.
Muller said he believes the group agrees that the urban reserve area north of Highway
14 should be off-limits and not allowed to be residentially zoned for now. He said it
seems the committee feels that the first tier of growth to the south should be developed
to city standards, guaranteed through the city’s subdivision process or annexed. Pierce
said that it should only be developed if it is annexed.
The group discussed areas where they could allow clustering of houses with a
subdivision plan, but Muller said they don’t want to get in the way of the city.
Struck said they need to be designed so they don’t have entrances directly on a road;
so they have a build through option.
Muller said they will do an analysis prior to the next meeting to see what land may be
eligible for this type of development.
The next meeting was set for Wednesday, June 27th, 2018 at 9:00 AM.
Knutson moved/Hill seconded a motion to adjourn. Motion carried.
Submitted by Stacy Steffensen
Brookings County
Commission Department Director