Henry County Planning and Zoning Commission recommends rezoning

MT. PLEASANT — Following the Board of Supervisors decision to change the county land use map at the end of June, the Planning and Zoning Commission met in a public hearing Tuesday evening to discuss rezoning that portion of land from agricultural to industrial.

Commission member Barb Welander began the meeting by stating the purpose as a public hearing with a request from Chad Ebling to rezone eight acres of land from A1 Agricultural to I1 Industrial in order to construct a concrete readiness plant.

“Based on the proximity to residential activities, we recommended you here to do a conditional rezoning, which is generally when we put conditions on that will help mitigate those external factors …” Planning and Zoning Director Joe Buffington said.

According to Buffington, the purpose of the meeting was to obtain information from neighbors to help establish some recommendations to create a land use agreement that will accompany the commission’s recommendation for conditional rezoning.

After hearing concerns about noise, sights, road usage, dust control issues, and water runoff, the commission worked together to use county engineer suggestions and neighbor input to create conditions to accompany a recommendation to rezone.

The commission approved the recommendation to the Board of Supervisors for the conditional rezoning despite comments from neighbors calling the decision a “misjustice.”

Some of these conditions the commission suggested included a tree line, a 400 foot buffer free of buildings and aggregate piles, participation with the county in dust control, and some route restrictions.

This recommendation to approve the rezoning will be considered by the Board of Supervisors during their Thursday, July 13 meeting at 9:30 a.m. following a conservation update from Caleb Waters.

According to Buffington, at that time, the supervisors will decided if they will approve the rezoning, and they will have the power to accept, reject, or adjust any of the proposed conditions.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com