#1 story of 2014: County zoning re-write continues

(The overall discussion of rewriting the county zoning ordinance got our vote as the top local news story of 2014.  This is our latest story--from December 29th--about the topic):

Following a public hearing on proposed changes to Winneshiek County's zoning ordinances Monday morning, supervisors are taking more time to review the changes.

Supervisor Dean Thompson's motion to approve a first reading of the new ordinance failed for lack of a second.  That means three suggested changes to the ordinance will be reviewed by the County Planning & Zoning Commission and another round of public hearings will be held before a vote on the zoning ordinances--a process that will take several months.

The first suggestion, made by rural Decorah resident John Hall, calls for adding language to conditional use permit regulations that "the use will not interfere with a resident's quiet enjoyment of his propoerty."  The suggested language comes from the recent dispute over loud music played at an event held by the Chimney Rock Campground.

The second suggestion, made by rural Decorah resident David Reis, calls for using a wider notification area about conditional use permits--sending letters to property owners within 1,000 feet of the property owned by the conditional use permit applicant, instead of the current 500 feet.

The third suggestion, made by Freeport resident Kevin Lee, would possibly waive the $200 conditional use permit fee for non-profit organizations.

Rural Decorah resident Bob Watson urged supervisors to take their time in reviewing the suggested changes, saying a "rush to decision" would be a bad sign for the upcoming discussion about frac sand mining regulations.