A public hearing was held to discuss a zoning map amendment application for a property located near the intersection of Cottonmill Ave. at 100th St.at the Onion Crest Airpark, south of Riverdale, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
RIVERDALE — Riverdale area residents raise concerns about a proposed rezoning to allow for a new business to operate at the Onion Crest Airpark during the Buffalo County Commissioners meeting on Monday, Dec. 23.
A public hearing was held to discuss a zoning map amendment application for a property located near the intersection of Cottonmill Ave. at 100th St.at the Onion Crest Airpark, south of Riverdale.
Craig Bennett with Miller & Associates appeared on behalf of Mark Meyer and Loren Bakko, manager of Bakko Land, LLC with a request to rezone around 30 acres of the property from Agricultural – Residential (AGR) to Commercial (C).
The plan for the property would be to construct a metal building near the airstrip so that Bakko Land, LLC, could operate their custom hay grinder and repair business.
Loren Bakko also spoke and noted they would use the runway one or two times per week as a part of the business. He said they are smaller scale than a Case or John Deere implement dealership and work with 50 customers in Nebraska.
Deputy County Attorney Andy Hoffmeister did note to the commissioners that anything zoned as Commercial means it is use by right. A future landowner would not have to seek a conditional use permit to build any commercial business on the 30 acres.
The floor was opened to the public for comment for or against the proposed rezone.
Mark Myer owns the property and is selling the airpark to Bakko Land. He said he supports their business, and they would be a benefit to Buffalo County. A Bakko Land employee also spoke and said it is a small family business that would be happy to work in the greater Kearney area.
There were a number of neighbors who opposed the rezone.
Shawn Cudaback who said he has resided in the area for half a decade said that he is, “strongly opposed,” to the rezone, saying he wants to see the area remain farmland and not become a commercial development area. He also cited an increase in traffic through the area.
Kylee Fish, said she lives near 88th St. and said she appreciates the character of the business but is opposed to the rezone and said the area is agricultural and residential in nature. She noted that allowing this area to be zoned commercial could set a precedent and that should be taken into consideration.
John Gibbons said he lives west of the area and said there are other areas in the county that are set up better for a business with the needs of Bakko Land.
Other area residents questioned why 30 acres needed to be rezoned when a single building was being discussed.
Another who spoke said they were concerned about the increased air and ground traffic and the noise associated with it. “If we wanted the noise, we would have stayed in town,” they said to a murmur of approval from others in the crowd.
Bennett spoke again following the comments and noted that the building be considered is common for an agricultural area but cannot build it while the area is zoned AG-R.
Speaking to the traffic in the area, Bennett said Cottonmill Ave. is an arterial road and not residential and handles traffic circumventing the Kearney area.
Given the needs of Bakko Land, Bennett said they have to build along a paved road. He noted that there are strict access limits to highway corridors, but arterial roads have less restrictions.
Commissioner Bill Maendele noted that this was the most calls he had received regarding an issue that the board was considering. Other commissioners echoed the same, noting that most had been in opposition to the change.
Chairman Ivan Klein asked why 30 acres were a part of the rezone. Loren Bakko answered and said he wants extra room for semis accessing the area and plans to build an additional hanger in the future for aircraft storage.
It was brought to the commissioners’ attention that many of the landowners in the area had just learned about the proposed rezone and the public hearing date over the weekend. They noted other neighbors would likely want to speak on the matter, if given the opportunity.
The commissioners voted to recess the public discussion until their Tuesday, Jan. 28 meeting, to give more people the opportunity to weigh in on the matter.
