Board of Supervisors schedules formal reading of cluster housing subdivisions ordinance

by Bob Beach

During its regular meeting Monday, July 13, the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing regarding an ordinance to allow cluster housing subdivisions. Allamakee County Zoning Administrator Tom Blake said that he had not heard any negative comments about the proposed ordinance from the public, but that two real estate developers had expressed support for it. Blake said that it would be “quite a process” to approve such a subdivision after the submission of a site plan under the proposed ordinance, but added that “I think it will work.”
Blake described the proposed ordinance as allowing smaller building lots than the current three-acre minimum currently required by the County's zoning ordinance, but would also set aside undeveloped areas of any cluster housing subdivision for conservation reserve, agricultural use or common use. He said that cluster developments would need to include home owners associations to take ownership of those undeveloped areas and address perimeter fencing issues to simplify matters for adjacent land owners.
Hearing no public comments, the Board closed the public hearing and scheduled a formal reading of the ordinance during its regular meeting next week. Blake said that at that time, the Board may elect to waive the second and third readings of the ordinance and vote on its passage, given the lack of any opposition.
District Conservationist LuAnn Rolling of the Allamakee Soil and Water Conservation District presented the Board with the annual watershed inspection report, which includes recommendations for some tree and brush clearing and other repairs in the Little Paint and English Bench Watersheds. Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour said that he would work with Rolling to complete the work.
The Board also met with Mike Horns, representing the Waukon Area Fire Protection District, who asked for the Board’s permission to utilize the Makee Manor building for firefighter training exercises. He said that the training, which would include search and rescue, elevator rescue and search for fire exercises, would be conducted in two or three sessions that would be open to all fire departments in the County. The Board approved the proposal and Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick said that use of the building represents “a huge training opportunity” and that he would be willing to work with the fire departments regarding scheduling for the training exercises.
During department head updates, County Engineer Ridenour told the Board that he had been in contact with the Iowa Department of Transportation regarding an $11,000 traffic safety grant to install flashing beacons at the intersection of Old Highway 9 and Old Stage Road west of Waukon. He said that at the Board’s request, he had asked if the beacons could be changed to all red to make the intersection a four-way stop and received a reply that because a traffic study of the intersection did not recommend a four-way stop, the traffic safety funding could not be used for that purpose.
Supervisor Dan Byrnes said that the flashing beacons would not resolve the primary problem at the intersection, which is visibility to the west from the northbound side of the intersection. He said that he would prefer to decline the traffic safety funding and make the intersection a four-way stop. Ridenour said that he would prepare a resolution to that effect for the Board’s consideration.
In other business, the Board accepted and placed on file quarterly reports from the Allamakee County Recorder and Environmental Health. The Board approved a contract with the County’s libraries for fiscal year 2016 and signed a letter of engagement with Hacker, Nelson and Company for auditing services. The Board also appointed Russ Hagen as the County’s representative on the Library Board and approved the hiring of Brian Lansing as a temporary part-time roadside mower for Secondary Roads starting July 13 at $10.00 per hour.