County rezones Johns Prairie residential property

There was quite a debate at the Mason County commissioners meeting last Tuesday about rezoning three parcels of property from residential to commercial.

According to the briefing packet, New Hiawatha LLC, owned by Mark Kamin, applied to rezone parcels adjacent to existing commercial industrial zoned parcels along E. Johns Prairie Road for about two miles. Hiawatha LLC is intending to utilize the parcels for potential expansion of the existing business.

Community Development Administrator Kell Rowen said during the meeting that the planning commission recommended approving the change, with the caveat that commercial trucks accessing the property use Johns Prairie Road and not allowed to access the property through E. Hiawatha Boulevard. Mason County code currently requires a 15-foot minimum vegetative buffer and there is existing native vegetation there now, which fulfills that requirement.

"County staff is recommending approval with the planning commission," Rowen said. "We believe the 15-foot buffer is adequate and we will defer to the board on how they want to address the commercial access issue."

Kamin spoke about the rezone during the meeting, saying the rezone would allow Hiawatha Corp to adjoin their current warehouse sites and create a new facility to help with storage and cold storage of products.

John Gilmore, a resident of the nearby neighborhood, said the neighborhood has been very successful.

"This property is at the very entrance of our property, it's by our mailboxes," Gilmore testified during the meeting. "...A 15-foot buffer zone, to me, is not reasonable. I think a 30-foot or whatever with hedges or something maintained."

Mark Golda, who lives in the nearby neighborhood, says there is nothing in writing from the applicant about what the land will be used for.

"As for notice, Kell had mentioned earlier about notice being placed on the properties and I had told the commission and I'll tell you now that an 8.5 by 11 piece of paper jammed on a stick on the ground on each of these lots is a mockery of public notice to the residents," Golda said. "The people most directly impacted by this radical change in land use, basically, we're not told anything."

There was also written testimony from people, including Beth McBain and Gregory Ward, Jerry Gregerson, Jimmie Deardeuff, and Lindsay and Travis Tachell. All the letters wrote in opposition of the proposed rezone.

The Mason County commissioners approved the rezone with the planning commission's recommended provisions, which are a 30-foot buffer between the commercial property and residential property and commercial access will be allowed on E. Johns Prairie Road only and not on E. Hiawatha Boulevard.

"I appreciate everybody who both attended today and wrote in on this issue," commissioner Kevin Shutty said during the meeting. "I recognize the challenges that growth present in our community, and I appreciate the respectful dialogue. I would also mention, as a former member of the planning advisory commission, these things are not taken lightly. I recall a rezone that I did when I was on the planning commission about five or six years ago regarding a proposal to rezone some parcels for self-storage units. Six years later, those self-storage units aren't there but I recall vividly the conversations that happened at the planning commission. As we deliberate these things, public comment is welcome and appreciated.

For the property owners, as you continue to grow and as you look at your role in the community, it's important that you work with the county on making improvements and partnering with us to look at making improvements on Johns Prairie, welcome that input as well. This will probably upset people on both sides of this issue but perhaps we're getting close to needing a roundabout in this area on Johns Prairie. I'll just leave you with those thoughts, with growth comes some challenges and some opportunities as well for us all to work together to make it manageable for everybody."