By Dave Baumeister
County Correspondent
SIOUX FALLS – A rural Baltic man hoping to turn a 15-acre property into a six-home development was denied a rezoning permit for his land at the Tuesday, Aug. 1, Minnehaha County Commission meeting.
Paul Bendorf of 25349 478th Ave, Baltic, wanted to have his 15-acres of land rezoned from A1 agriculture to RR rural residential so he could make six lots of approximately two acres each.
This would have been the first step before Bendorf could formulate a more detailed sub-division plan for his development.
Last month the Minnehaha Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to deny his application, which automatically brought the matter before the county commission to see if the planning commission action would be upheld.
Although no one showed up to complain about Bendorf’s plans at this meeting, it was said that several people were at the planning commission meeting to speak against the rezoning.
Bendorf explained what his early plans were for the water system and geo-thermal energy to avoid the use of propane or natural gas.
He also said how the development would increase the tax base, as six properties would be taxed at a higher rate than his currently zoned ag land.
He also pointed out that one of the main comments against his proposal before the planning commission was that this new plan would “interfere with agriculture,” but Bendorf scuttled that argument when he explained that none of his 15 acres are being used for agriculture now.
He referred to the county’s 2035 plan for development and explained how his ideas fit with that plan, but in the end current zoning regulations are what hurt Bendorf.
While all of the commissioners present thought highly of Bendorf’s plans, they unanimously voted to uphold the planning commission’s denial of the project.
But they felt that right now, they needed to go with the 40-year-old 1983 zoning ordinance, which prohibited that kind of zoning.
However, they did say they thought that ordinance had to be updated to allow for the previous 2035 plan.
In the end, Bendorf must have felt some hope for the future of his development, as, after being denied, he made it a point to thank the commissioners for hearing him out on his plans.
Money for the Link
The commission did approve a three year $400,000 per year expenditure in funds for the Link (Sioux Empire Triage Center) to help people battling different forms of addiction, among other problems.
The Link “provides mid-level alternatives for non-violent people with drug and alcohol abuse and mental health issues.”
Concerning the funds, some of the money would come from grant money received to fight opioid addiction.
Commissioner Dean Karsky said that money not spent here would eventually go into the county’s “sobering system.”
The next county commission meeting will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 15, on the third floor of the Minnehaha County Administration Building at 6th and Minnesota in Sioux Falls.
