The North Platte planning commission has recommended several developments that will go before the city council Tuesday.

The planning commission met on March 24 narrowly recommending a zoning change on East Second St., as well as other developments, by a larger margin.

The lot split would clear the way for the property to be put to new uses.

The lot split, requested by Charles Roberts and Richard Housman. Crews have been steadily cleaning and clearing the overgrown property.

Planning Administrator Judy Clark said the subdivision would meet city requirements. Access to utilities is available. North Western Energy does not currently provide gas service there but gas mains are nearby.

During the discussion, commissioners also touched on the property’s longer-term potential, noting that the general area has developed into more commercial uses over time and applicants may eventually seek rezoning.

The commissioners unanimously voted to recommend approval of the subdivision.

Beverages at Wild West Arena

The commissioners held a public hearing on a conditional use permit for the Wild West Arena Foundation, the home of Nebraskaland Days, for a new beverage service building – a cooler with a base around it. Clark said the permanent structure would replace temporary setups during events and improve safety, efficiency, and crowd flow without expanding the venue’s footprint.

No one spoke during the public hearing.

Before voting, the city attorney addressed two potential conflicts of interest, noting that Commissioner Emily Wurl’s husband is on the Nebraskaland Days board. Also, the chairman of the commission, David Fudge, is a former Nebraskaland Day executive director, and member of the Wild West Arena Foundation board.

City Attorney Bill Troshynski said those relationships did not create a disqualifying conflict under state law. The commissioners, including Wurl and Fudge, unanimously recommended approval.

Residential rezone

Two related items involving property at 492 W. North River Road were taken up together. Zane and Sarah Grandel sought a comprehensive plan amendment as well as a rezoning to build another home on the property.

Clark said the land is now designated agricultural on the city’s land use map, so a land use amendment is necessary before rezoning occur. She had no objections and described the area as a mix of agricultural and residential properties.

Commissioners discussed maps and asked questions about a floodway across the southwest portion of the property. Clark said no structures could be built in the floodway. A new home would have to be placed on the north side of the property.

Clark also noted the property owners would have preferred to leave the land zoned agricultural, but that is not possible because the split leaves less than the 10-acre minimum size for rural homes in ag zones.

The commission unanimously approved both the land use amendment and the rezoning recommendation.

East Second St.

The commission considered three related requests from Antonio Gonzalez for property at 2200 E. Second St: a land use amendment, rezoning from R-3 dwelling to a B-2 highway commercial district, and a conditional use permit for construction of a contractor’s office, with storage.

Clark said the property is in a mixture of residential and commercial property, including an RV mobile home park to the north, a farm to the west, and a group home to the east. She did not believe a contractor’s office with storage would be a detriment to the area if the site is well-maintained.

During the public hearing, Shirley Blacklock of 2215 Burlington Blvd. opposed the project, saying she is concerned the shift to a highway commercial zone would bring more noise and traffic into what she sees as a quiet, safe residential area.

Another speaker, Brent Wood of 2010 W. Sixth, spoke in support. Wood said he had business with the applicants and described them as professionals who would be good stewards of the property and contribute to local economic growth.

The commissioners debated whether the site felt more residential or commercial and discussed what could happen if the request were denied. Clark said the property owner could still build a residential-style structure there such as a barn-dominium, which could later create enforcement issues if business activity spills beyond what zoning allows.

That led some commissioners to argue that approving the commercial zoning with conditions would give the city more control of the development, not less.

The commission ultimately recommended the land use amendment and rezoning on narrow 4-3 votes. Commissioners Kathleen Matthews, Kert McKeone, and Wurl voted no both times.

When it came to the conditional use permit, commissioners required any outdoor area used for vehicle or equipment storage, loading or unloading to have a hard surface, such as gravel or crushed concrete. They also required a six-foot fence along any boundary abutting current or future residences. The motion passed 6-1. McKeone voted against it.

Counseling clinic

Another public hearing followed for Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, which requested a conditional use permit for an outpatient health clinic at 1160 Linda Ct.

Clark said the facility would provide services by appointment, including individual therapy, group counseling, family therapy, and medication management. She said there would be no overnight stays, inpatient treatment, nor emergency services, and traffic would remain low and predictable.

Attorney Matt Pederson, speaking on behalf of Lutheran Family Services, said the organization’s facility on 12th St. needs major renovation and is expected to become more of a crisis center, while the proposed new building would be for outpatient services. He said the nearby Connection supportive residential development could create useful overlap.

No one spoke in opposition, and the commission unanimously recommended approval of the clinic.

Mobile home parks

One of the most notable discussions of the night came during a public hearing on a proposed ordinance amendment involving to allow an alternative to the city’s requirement that new mobile home parks include FEMA-standard tornado shelters.

Under the proposed change, manufactured homes placed on permanent foundations could satisfy the code, without requiring a separate storm shelter. 

Clark said staff began reviewing the issue after being asked whether there was another way to address storm safety without imposing the cost of a FEMA-compliant shelter.

She said the alternative foundation system would use helical piers and create a setup more comparable to a permanent home on a foundation than a traditional mobile home with skirting and tie-downs. Clark also said North Platte appears to be an outlier in requiring storm shelters for mobile home parks. Other Nebraska cities generally do not have the same rule. 

The proposal sparked a lengthy discussion. Some commissioners argued that if single-family homes built on slabs are not required to have storm shelters, then permanently affixed manufactured homes should not be treated differently.

Others questioned whether removing the requirement for a shelter, even in a limited form, reduced safety too much. Wurl said she intended to vote no because she valued the added protection of a storm shelter and believed a developer making that level of investment could also afford the shelter.

The commission ultimately voted to recommend approval of the ordinance change, although not unanimously. Wurl voted no.

It is thought that the change will open the door for Prateria Ventures to build a new mobile home park on the east side of Bicentennial Ave.

Food trucks

The final discussion of the meeting was about possible regulations for food truck vendors. No formal action was taken, but commissioners discussed draft language and some practical issues that still need work.

Those include the process of permitting, health inspections, alcohol sales, and whether vendors should be allowed on public parking lots.

Fudge said one of the city’s goals is to create a process that gives officials some oversight of who is operating in town and where, especially if a complaint or health concern arises. They also discussed the need to balance that with special events, where the city may even want to invite vendors into public spaces on a temporary basis.

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