There may be a 12-month moratorium in Decorah on R-3 high density residential developments

Neighbors of the River Walk subdivision on Decorah's West Side may be getting a partial victory in their fight to limit the type of development in the subdivision.

Decorah attorney Karl Knudson had submitted a petition with over 100 signatures to the Decorah Planning & Zoning Commission, asking for the creation of a new residential zoning classification in the city.

Knudson argued that as Decorah's population ages, many more people will be looking to downsize out of their homes--and allowing for construction of condominiums would help the city.  The trouble now, says Knudson, is that the same R-3 zoning classification used for condos also allows for much bigger developments, such as the two proposed developments in River Walk that drew neighbor objections.

But Planning & Zoning Commission members and City Administrator Chad Bird suggested another approach--rewriting the R-2 and R-3 zoning classifications so that R-2 zoning allowed condo development and R-3 zoning was only for dense population projects.

Commission members will ask City Attorney Rick Zahasky to write up language that would put into place a 12-month moratorium on all development in R-3 districts while the rewriting of the R-2 and R-3 categories is being done.  Zahasky's document is expected to be discussed at next month's P & Z meeting.