Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Good morning. I call the uh Norfolk Planning Commission meeting of March 17th, 2026 to order. Inform the public of the LO uh open meetings act in the northwest corner of the building and ask for roll. Wait, here. Sock here. Simonson here. Upky here. Hoffer here. Guyer here. Griffith here. Kee Ronfelt here. Ask for approval of the full agenda. So moved. Second. Please vote.

All commission members present voting in the affirmative. Motion carries. and consideration of the approval of the minutes of the March 3rd, 2026 planning commission meeting. Second, please vote.

All commission members present voting in the affirmative. Motion carries. I will open up the public hearing at the request of Elliot Zach to consider a zoning change from agricultural to rural residential on property addressed as 1917 North 49th Street. Anyone like to speak on behalf?

Yes. So, I own the property there. Um, I've owned it for approximately 2 and 1/2 almost 3 years. Um, basically my main objective here is I'm just trying to uh get a portion of it separated off so my parents can build on that as well. Um, I have a house near completion that I'm building right in the center of that property. Um, we're just trying to get closer to Northfor here. I own a company in town, Norfork Specialties. Um, I'm originally from Humphrey, so commuting is getting a little tiresome. Um my father and I also purchased a company out of Columbus and moved it up here um into Norfor. Um so trying to get that uh that done just so so we both can be closer to our companies basically. Um especially during the winter getting down here is kind of a hassle. Um also uh I have a younger brother with special needs. Uh he's got some social anxiety so they're trying to get closer to doctors and stuff down here. I help provide some secondary care with them. Um, so being both of us on this property would be very beneficial for both of us. Um, but that's basically basically what we're trying to uh accomplish with this is just get one more um single family residence on this property close to me. I think I'll ditto what Elliot says is uh I'm Ronzak. I'm Elliot's dad. So, uh, yeah, our goal would be to get down there. Elliot bought the 35 acres and, uh, our hope is, like he said, is especially with my son. Elliot's kind of been a second dairy caregiver, and the ideal location would be walking distance to his place. We live in uh, in the middle of Humphrey right now, and our goal was where I needed to go with my business. We were going to relocate. I do think um zoning changes, you know, I

I understand why there's there's rules put in place and uh we're asking if you guys can somehow make an exception for us. Um uh the key is our business here would be ideal. My son, my wife's got to bring him down here every day anyway. Um I just uh I'm I'm going to ask I'm going to plead with you guys to to please consider it. I do think we will make an impact to this community. pretty immediately. I've There's five families involved in our new business that I think uh will relocate here fairly quick. So, we're growing this new business rapidly. We probably doubled the business in the last year. So, uh our hope is to continue growing it. That's all I got. Another aspect of it too is I know that uh the zoning here um typically states that 40 acres is a minimum for agricultural. Um currently, that property is actually less than that. It's 34.92. Splitting it off would actually conform more to the uh the zoning um as stated by the comprehensive plan.

Good. Well, how long is that section? How long is that there? It's about 1300 acres or acres feet.

So, it's essentially a quarter quarter with a little chunk taken out from a a house long ago. Here's here's the zoning map if that's helpful. So, they're they're right here. And this is the ETJ. Yeah. Where where's the ETJ at? Where the color stops essentially.

Okay. About a half mile west of 61st Street is where the ETJ and where typically do we want to see RR to prevent growth in that that would be in the last half mile.

The other thing you're asking us to do is council decision as to whether whether it happens. I certainly planning commission here, but ultimately it will be city council. So when we push water and sewer past there, it's going to be about $100,000 bill each for you. It's going to cost you probably around $60,000 to put a sidewalk in.

Yep. I'm fully aware of that. I understand that. Um, and like I stated, my house is in the center of that property right now. So, I'm not I'm not really interested in selling any of it off. Um, so going into this project I do understand that where typically did do we want to see R outside of the ETJ?

It would be in the last half mile. So essentially 61st west would be that last half mile if you just kind of went over because that's that's the intent of our And just for the rest of the commission, why why typically do we not want rural residential within that last half mile? why you do want it in the last half.

Excuse me. Essentially, kind of what Steve Ramos said, it it costs a lot for the people who are living there and it also costs a lot for the city to extend utilities past there. it for our city to grow. We want this type of pattern, you know, the the standard pattern. it it's much more difficult to get past and leapfrog past these large lots to get past 35 acres you like deer run

trying to push water and sewer throughout that through that area because we're growing that way as a community. None of those folks are going to be happy with the assessment bills they're going to get for water and sewer push through there because there's so much square footage, right?

And if you leave more of the larger lots like this with maybe one house on it, that is easier to split and continue the the typical city pattern. Um, even with one house on there, there's still 30ome acres. And even if it's kind of a low density, four per acre, you could get, you know, 100 plus houses potentially out there. And so that helps pay and justify the the water and sewer that goes by. Also, Ellie, excuse me, Ellie, you said you're building right in the middle of your property right now, correct?

Okay. So, you're going to have like a long drive then from the street to or the road to Yep. Yep. And uh the the portion that I would uh prefer to try and parcel off for my parents is right there along the road. Um it's pretty close um to that southoutheast corner. Okay. So, kind of by that intersection there then. Correct. Yep. Yep. It'd basically be up to 10 acres. It'd be a square right in that southeast portion. Um Okay. Is where they're looking at going. Then from that cursor, I mean, where are you kind of at then? Uh you can go straight west.

Uh go a little more. Right there. So, yeah, essentially straight west of where where they would be at. Okay.

And it's the entire 35 acres.

Correct. Because like you said, it it's already non-standard for what the current egg is. Um, so once you start splitting stuff off, then things need to come into conformity. As it stands now, it's a lot of record. It's just non-standard. The one house that he's building now did not need a zone change because that's that can be done.

Is there a concern on 49th Street, the entrance into that property is kind of on a crest of the hill? Is there a concern with putting more homes in that area and having more traffic go through there? Um, I mean, the driveway that they would use would be the same driveway and approach that I was would use that was already there by the county. Um, there is definitely where it's at is definitely the best spot in that area. Um, it's clear visibility behind and in front. Um, kind of being on top of that hill. You can see the driveway. Yep. That approach on the bottom there. Um, Yep. is correct. Yeah. Okay.

Yeah. We would not be adding any other approaches at this time. I think looking at the the ruling you have in place, another dwelling could be put up. It has to be under like 865 square ft which just is not I mean that's a big garage is what that is. So

So as a commission we're worried about water sewer. That's that's our biggest concern. I mean obviously Steve after last night I get the get that. Um but that's that's what we're it's just yeah it's the build out of the community. is definitely the direction of growth for us is west northwest and so as these things go income problematic that's I would say that's the concern in general okay but and now we do have him on record saying that he's aware of the hefty cost that's going to be

y yeah I yeah I had visited with my attorney a little about it cuz he's familiar with the whole setup from where he's from. Um I was actually figuring it'd probably be closer to 230 to 250. So I was prepared for that um when you guys brought that up. Sure. And the way it's going, I don't think it's going to take long. Thank you guys. Y

this is a public hearing. Anyone like to speak on behalf of this? Seeing none, I'll close the public hearing. Open for discussion. I think personally it's if you're willing to front the tab that is what it is. I guess I I you know them being aware of it is one thing. Whether they're going to follow through and you know pay is is not my problem I guess. But The reality is that 30 years from now,

right?

It's just I mean I understand their their situation. It's difficult. You know, you want to be able to do what you want to do with your property. I have concerns with setting precedent.

Yeah. don't like doing that because if one person's going to come and ask for it, the next person is going to come and ask for it. And I don't don't know the Zachs. I don't know the next person that's probably going to come in. And it doesn't doesn't necessarily bother me to that extent. It's just I know what it's like sitting on this commission for the last near decade to be, you know, take sidewalk waiverss for example. Those have come through in abundance over the last decade. You allow one to have it, you're going to have the next person to come by and have one. And I I just don't like doing that. But there's just there's a lot of things that happen and it doesn't necessarily matter to me which way we go with it. Um I have my overall opinion, but

whether it's this one or the next one that comes in though, it's ultimately still our decision, right? And I'm I don't look forward to any of those times when it when it does come in.

It's part of being up here though. Oh, yeah. And uh as part of that goes is they're they're going to point out this situation. Whoever comes in next is what? Well, we you just allowed it here. So, I mean that'll be on the the commission's um priority list. So, Val, will you pull up that zoning one more time?

And the ETJ is the client. Yes, the ETJ is here. Pretty much everything color-wise is ours. Everything uncolored is the the county. And the red squares are the miles. So this would be 37th, 49th, 61st. discussion.

Well, I don't know if this will help you to the comp plan. So, we're in the west entrance of the comp plan. And so, development guidelines for residential. It says, "Encourage residential development north of Highway 75, prioritizing developments that are adjacent to existing city infrastructure and large lot residential development should be discouraged so that the extension of city services can proceed and facilitate future development within the district. So that's what the comp plan calls for in this area. How far away are the nearest utilities right now? probably 37th Street.

Oh, here. 37. There's probably water there running up 37 to all of these. So, a mile to the east.

Yeah. So, I don't know about 37th there, but it's probably right there where the cursor is. I don't think it went north. I'll move for consideration of a recommendation of a zoning change from a agricultural district to RR on property addressed at 1917 North 49th. Second voting in the affirmative. Hupky, Ronfelt, Sock, Hawert, Simson voting in opposition. We wait, Kubie, and Griffith. Motion carries.

Thank you. And Val, February 2026 building permit report.

Okay, so February was kind of a slow month for new builds. We didn't have any new builds. So single family detached, we were seven this year, 18 last year. No d no new duplexes for either year. Uh no new multif family. Last year we had the 166 of those apartments behind uh the restaurant by Hive Vest. Uh single family attached were six this year, eight last year. And then we what permits did come in were kind of like additions and things like that. Uh so building valuation is about 38.4 4 million less than last year at this time.

Thank you. Any other topics or concerns?

So move. Okay,

you should need to Looks right.

That looks So if I get email that I'll email it to you later today. So thank you so much. I appreciate you last night. I had busy with other stuff. No, it's okay. You know, I appreciate