The Marshall County Plan Commission “re-approved” a request for rezoning in Koontz Lake.
A strange set of circumstances surrounding a request for rezoning by JeAnna Burch which was approved by the plan commission and then sent on for final approval from the Marshall County Commissioners, brought the matter back before the Plan Commission. Immediately before the matter was heard by the Commissioners, all of the notice letters sent to Burch’s neighbors were returned to the Plan Commission office as undeliverable as addressed.
All the addresses were re-checked and found to be correct but for whatever reason the batch of letters was returned to sender.
The unique circumstance required the Plan Commission to re-hear the matter to allow the notice letters to be delivered to the affected neighbors.
Last week the board opened a second hearing on the issue.
Burch is seeking the rezoning to allow her to have a small number of chickens and goats on her property on Underwood Road in Walkerton. Burch said that she plans to have the animals in a pole barn she has constructed on the interior of her property for the purpose, well away from any neighbors.
Two letters opposing the rezoning were read into the record – one from an adjacent property owner who is a member of the Koontz Lake Conservancy District and the second letter from the Conservancy District itself. Their concern was the effect on adjacent property values and also the fact that the Pontius Ditch flows through part of the property. The concern was for contamination entering the lake.
Burch told the board the area the animals would inhabit was well away from the ditch, where the land was too marshy for any such purpose.
The board voted unanimously to allow the rezoning and sent the matter on to the Commissioners for final approval.
In other business Plan Director Ty Adley gave the board an update on the Solar Battery Task Force which has now had several meetings. Adley said they are attempting to bring experts on the subject to speak to the group.
He said he anticipated that it would be November or December before the task force would complete their findings.
There is no business to come before the Plan Commission for the month of October, so the Commission will meet again in November.
