City Planning and Zoning Commission to Decorah School Board: How can we be of help?

On behalf of the Decorah City Council Panning and Zoning Committee, chairman Benji Nichols' message to the Decorah School Board Monday night was "how can we be of help?"

Nichols said that he had intended this communication to be stated as early as September, but that scheduling had gotten in the way. He said that the two way conversation had appeared to die after the City Council turned down the District's request to purchase the Heivly Street downtown property for new elementary facilities, and he did not want it to seem like the Council was stepping away from the issue. He noted that Planning and Zoning is continuously dealing with land use and planning issues. In fact, he mentioned exploring other potential sites for the downtown softball field and the recycling lot that were part of the rejected school site proposal.

Nichols said he had no agenda, such as a school site recommendation, other than to communicate a willingness to assist the Board in terms of long term land use and planning issues within the city.  Nichols said the Board was really filled with the necessary expertise to identify potential sites.

When asked about approval issues and timing, Nichols said the best case scenario for a request for school zoning on a selected property was 6-8 weeks. That would include initial in-depth review by Planning and Zoning, and then a recommendation to the full City Council, which would include multiple readings. He also noted that schools were already defined as "permitted use" in some zones within the city.

Nichols did cite two specific issues the City Council was interested in: traffic flow, and the potential for collaboration on a shared facilities for a community recreation site.