Council concerned with one-lot development

Le Mars City Council members Tuesday put their stamp of approval on the final plat of the HJK Addition along 12th Street Southeast.

But they followed that decision by discussing concerns on one-lot development areas.

One-lot development happens, Mayor Pro Tem Rex Knapp later explained, when a developer seeks approval on a plat for a single site taken out of a larger area.

The concern, Knapp said, is that down the road more development will take place around these single lots, creating a patchwork effect, which makes for less large-scale organization.

"Our problem with the one-lot development is that, if it starts happening all over the place, it might interfere with the way things should be properly planned out, like streets going through subdivisions," Assistant City Administrator Bill Cole said after the meeting.

Council members, emphasizing the discussion was not directed at HJK property owner Harold Kenkel, said this single lot addition prompted the question 'how many more' would be coming from future developers.

"We've had this going on for two or three years now," Knapp later said. "We're getting concerned this is a trend, chipping away at things."

Some of the concern, council members said, was that one-lot sites might start out residentially zoned, but a later owner would switch the zoning.

"The owners now don't have the intention to change zoning, but when they sell to somebody, that somebody may have different intentions," Knapp said. "All people have to do to get a zoning change is come in and ask for it, giving notice to neighbors within 200 feet. In some of these cases the only neighbor is the developer."

Another troubling question the council voiced centered on how one-lot development could affect future streets or street extensions.

For example, the property necessary for a possible extension of 11th Avenue to 12th Street near the HJK addition could result in what council members and City Administrator Scott Langel deemed a "potentially dangerous" intersection at the site without proper easements.

"If we get a plat layout of the whole area and approve the rough idea, it makes it a lot easier for everyone to see what's going on for the whole area," Cole later said.

Langel explained that the city's hands are currently tied in terms of denying approval of one-lot plats if they meet zoning requirements. He recommended to the council that members request the assistance of the local planning and zoning board in coming up with a solution.

Knapp suggested a possible city code change could also help in solving the problem.

"There are no grounds that currently exist to allow us to deny these one-lot plats," he said. "We're looking at going through the code maybe rewriting part of it that gives us authority where if a one-lot development interferes with the comprehensive plan, we can turn it down."

Knapp acknowledged that one-lot development may be more practical for some developers today, but said he'd still like to see rough plans for an area, rather than a single lot within that area.

"We're hoping to get people to come in with a whole plan showing what they're trying to do instead of just piecemeal," he said.

Council members, meanwhile, got a reprieve from making final decisions on two major infrastructure projects originally a part of Tuesday's agenda.

Mayor Dick Kirchoff asked that discussion be delayed for the Airport Road/195th Street and Business 75 south intersection water main extension and the 18th Street sanitary sewer extension from Industrial Road to the rail spur line until members had sufficient plan and cost information to study.

The necessary information, Kirchoff said, was unavailable for the council members' packets delivered prior to Tuesday's session.

Langel said he would have the project information available prior to the next meeting.