A new Koochiching County development ordinance is moving toward adoption with the completion of public information meetings and the planning of formal public hearings.
County officials have been working to renew the development ordinance, which was last updated in 1975. Representatives of CR Planning, a consultant from Minneapolis, are helping the county in the development of a new ordinance.
The next step is a public hearing to be conducted by the county’s Planning Commission, explained Richard Lehtinen, county Environmental Services director. Lehtinen said he favors a spring hearing, because some residents leave the area during the winter, he said.
Public meetings on the ordinance were held in Birchdale, Northome, Littlefork and International Falls. A draft of the new ordinance is available from the Environmental Services Department.
The main concern heard at the informational meetings was the subdivision process outlined in the new ordinance, Lehtinen said.
The intent of the new ordinance is to give property owners more flexibility with maximum densities, he said. Lehtinen said he doesn’t know how many property owners will be affected by the change, but noted that many lots are already subdivided.
The maximum density for zone R-1, or residential district, was set at one dwelling per five acres. The minimum lot area per unit was also decreased from 2.5 acres to two acres. The R-1 district promotes low-density development on large lots in areas not requiring public water and sewer services, according to the draft ordinance.
The maximum density for zone R-2 is set at one dwelling per two acres. The R-2 district provides for one- and two- family residences without livestock at a higher density than the R-1 residential district.
The maximum density for zone RR-1, or the residential recreation district, was set at one dwelling per one acre. The RR-1 district provides for seasonal and year-round residential development and recreation-oriented services in areas of high recreational value, according to the draft ordinance.
For zone AF-1, or agriculture and forestry, the maximum density was set at one dwelling per 20 acres and the minimum lot area per unit was changed from 10 acres to 2.5 acres.
The maximum density for zone OS-1, or open space, was set at one dwelling per 40 acres.
The new ordinance also includes a new zone called rural village, which would be a small unincorporated area.