DC PR&D recommends rezone from General Ag to Residential 1 in Town of Sherman
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by LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — The Dunn County Planning Resources and Development Committee is recommending a rezone in the Town of Sherman along state Highway 25 from General Agriculture to Residential 1.
Ray Witke, owner of Classic Protective Coatings, would like to combine a lot zoned General Agriculture with an outlot to the east, said Anne Wodarczyk, Dunn County zoning administrator, at a meeting of the PR&D committee April 10 during a public hearing on the rezone request.
Under the Dunn County zoning code, one parcel cannot have two different zoning designations, she said.
In the area, there is General Commercial zoning and Residential 1 and Residential 2. The lots in question are subject to the shoreline overlay zoning, but they are not in a floodplain, Wodarczyk said.
The rezone would be consistent with the Town of Tainter’s comprehensive plan, which has that area designated as future residential development, either R1 or R2, she said.
The Town of Sherman did not have a comprehensive plan at the time Dunn County’s comprehensive plan was approved but has since recommended approval of the rezone, Wodarczyk said.
The area is transitioning from General Ag to commercial and residential. The General Ag lot is grassland and has low soil productivity. Rezoning to R1 would result in a zero loss of agricultural land, she said.
R1 would be consistent with the surrounding zoning so it would not be spot zoning. The rezone would be consistent with the public interest, and both Tainter and Sherman have approved the rezone, and Dunn County zoning staff also are recommending approval, Wodarczyk said.
Mike Kneer, county board supervisor from the Town of Menomonie, noted that adjacent to the three acres there are some very small parcels.
There is a recorded subdivision plat next door, said Tom Carlson, county surveyor.
Ron Jasperson of Auth Consulting said he has been working with Witke on the rezone, and that before this, there had been commercial equipment and supplies stored on the lot but the lot is vacant now.
Witke would like to combine the lots and rezone to R1 because he plans to build a house for one of his daughters, Jasperson said.
The Dunn County Planning, Resources and Development Committee unanimously recommended that the county board approve Witke’s rezone request.
Town of Dunn
The PR&D committee also recommended that the county board approve a variance request in the Town of Dunn.
Terry Auth owns a property with two residences and some outbuildings in the Downsville Sanitary District and would like to split the property into two parcels, Carlson said.
Both of the residences are connected to the Downsville municipal sewage system, and both residences are used as rental properties, he said.
The Dunn County zoning code allows a minimum parcel size of 10,000 square feet in a municipal sewer district, but the land division ordinance requires 30,000 contiguous square feet of buildable space, Carlson said.
Each lot would have one residence and one outbuilding. One of the lots would only be 26,000 square feet with 12,700 square feet of buildable space, he said.
The owner plans to sell one of the residences to a tenant and to keep the other residence, Carlson noted.
The zoning code for a sanitary sewer district and the land division ordinance are at odds with each other. If the variance is approved, the two residences would no longer be conforming with the land division ordinance, although they would comply with the zoning code, he said.
The Dunn County zoning code only allows one residence per parcel, and the property would not be allowed today. If the variance request is granted, the two residences will still be there on one parcel, Carlson said.
The Environmental Services Department is recommending that the variance be approved, Carlson said.
The Dunn County Planning, Resources and Development Committee unanimously recommended that the county board approve the variance request in the Town of Dunn.
