Hastings Planning Commission Regular Meeting - September 22, 2026

The Hastings Planning Commission met in regular session at Hastings City Hall, 615 W 3rd Street, on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. Chair Chuck Rosenberg called the meeting to order at about 4:07 p.m.; the agenda listed 4:00 p.m. and the transcript says 4:08 p.m. Present were Craig Hubbard, Chuck Rosenberg, Greg Sinner, Shawn Rossi, Rick Schnase, James Carson, Joe Kindig, and Sarah Bruce. Lou Kully and Shannon Adler were absent. Staff present included City Administrator Mark Funkey, City Attorney Jesse Oswald, Director/City Engineer Lee Vrooman, Director of Development Services Kevin Kubo, City Planner Ember Batelaan, and other city officials. The commission voted 8-0 on all agenda items requiring a vote.

Call to Order, Agenda, and Minutes

• Public notice was read into the record as required by Nebraska law, and the Open Meetings Act posting was noted.
• No citizen communications were offered during the citizen communication portion.
• The agenda was adopted with one correction: the minutes date was corrected to August 18, 2026. The agenda itself had listed the minutes as 'Meeting of September 22, 2026.' Motion by Sinner, second by Rossi. The transcript initially records 7-0, but City Attorney Oswald clarified that Commissioner Carson's voice vote made the final tally 8-0.
• The August 18, 2026 minutes were approved with that correction. Motion by Schnase, second by Hubbard; carried 8-0.
• No special order of business or unfinished business was reported.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No citizen communications were offered during the citizen communication portion of the meeting.
• During the public hearings, applicant Mark Reinhard testified that he purchased the 50-foot strip north of his property to plant a windbreak and later stated he had no objection to annexation, while asking about potential property tax effects.

Public Hearings

2026-411 – Comprehensive Plan Amendment

• City Planner Ember Batelaan presented the staff report and recommended approval of the amendment to the 2025 Comprehensive Plan to update demographic and housing data and the future land use map.
• The demographic update, based on 2024 American Community Survey data compared with 2022 data, showed the 20–24 age group as the largest population group; owner households were most often two-person households, and renter households most often one-person households.
• Future land use map changes included wetland and housing-mix adjustments, downtown/general commercial areas, transitional agricultural buffers near feedlots, Showboat Boulevard, MPH, South Street, and Parkview Cemetery.
• Commissioner Hubbard asked whether vacancy rates had changed; Batelaan said updated vacancy rates had not been reviewed and that recent housing studies have consistently identified a need for additional housing.
• Chairman Rosenberg asked about South Street residents after the proposed change to General Commercial. Batelaan explained that the zoning code implements the Comprehensive Plan; existing residences could remain, but if single-family residential use is not allowed in a future commercial district, the homes would become nonconforming and would have to comply with the new code after major damage or demolition.
• Motion by Sinner, second by Kindig; carried 8-0 to recommend approval to the City Council.

2026-408 – Rezoning from A-Agriculture to R-1A

• Kevin Kubo presented the request to rezone land northwest of North Wildflower Avenue and East Lochland Road from A-Agriculture District to R-1A Single Family Large Lot Residential District and amend the Official Zoning District Map. Staff recommended approval.
• Applicant Mark Reinhard, 575 E Lochland Road, said he and his family moved there in 2014 and he bought 50 feet north of his property to plant a windbreak against cold winter winds.
• Motion by Schnase, second by Sinner; carried 8-0 to recommend approval to the City Council.

2026-409 – Annexation

• Kubo presented the request to annex the 1.47-acre Reinhard parcel into the city. He explained the process involved rezoning, annexation, and a subsequent plat. Staff recommended approval.
• Reinhard said the process began in March and asked about potential tax changes. Rosenberg explained taxes could increase, more than half of property taxes go to the school district, and the city receives roughly 20%. City Attorney Oswald confirmed an additional city levy would apply.
• Reinhard said he had no objection to annexation, noting the city already maintains the street. Rosenberg noted annexations are uncommon and the City Council has final authority.
• Motion by Kindig, second by Hubbard; carried 8-0 to recommend approval to the City Council.

Subdivisions

2026-410 – Reinhard Addition Preliminary/Final Plat

• Staff explained the plat would create a separate parcel for the 50-foot windbreak purchase and was part of the larger Reinhard application. The minutes list the motion by Kindig and second by Schnase, though the transcript's account is less clear; the vote carried 8-0 to recommend approval to the City Council.

2026-423 – Golden Triangle Third Subdivision Preliminary/Final Plat

• Batelaan presented the request to subdivide an unplatted tract southeast of Industry Circle and South Industry Circle to separate and sell agricultural buildings. Staff recommended approval.
• Motion by Carson, second by Rossi; carried 8-0 to recommend approval to the City Council.

Reports and Staff Discussions

• Committee reports: none.
• Chairman Rosenberg said he was glad to be back in City Hall and that the larger facility should serve the city well.

2026 Housing Dashboard

• Batelaan presented the 2026 Housing Dashboard, an annual staff-created online tool with housing information. It includes tabs for population, the 2025 housing assessment, housing-type maps, owner/renter tenure, affordability, market data, commuter information, and new development.
• The affordability tab showed fair-market rent versus hourly wages. At the 2025 minimum wage, only a studio apartment was affordable; 30% area-median-income households would need assistance, 50% AMI could afford a studio and one-bedroom, and 80% AMI could afford all unit sizes except a four-bedroom at fair-market rent.
• The new development tab showed permits by housing type and location, with 84 apartment units permitted in 2019, 78 in 2022, and 188 in 2024. Batelaan noted the chart counts the year a permit was issued, not project completion, so a December 2024 permit would be counted in 2024.
• Hubbard asked about website traffic; Batelaan said she would need to check with Lindsey and noted a news release/public notice had been issued about the dashboard.
• Hubbard asked about abandoned homes; Batelaan said vacancy is difficult to determine and those data were not included, though past maps have shown hot spots for homes in poor condition.
• Carson asked about additional tabs; Batelaan reviewed commuter information showing more people employed in Hastings but living elsewhere and more people living in Hastings but working elsewhere, which may indicate housing and job needs.

Residential Zoning and Missing Middle

• Batelaan defined missing middle housing as duplexes, townhomes, triplexes, fourplexes, row houses, and cottage courts – housing between single-family homes and large apartment buildings.
• She showed maps and photos of existing examples in Hastings, including converted single-family homes, duplexes near Hastings College, townhomes off 26th Street, the 1889 Magic Flats, a fourplex identifiable only by four mailboxes, row houses near downtown and Mary Lanning, and a cottage court on 9th Street.
• Asked how Hastings compares with other Nebraska communities, Batelaan said Grand Island and Kearney have promoted more duplexes and townhomes, but like Hastings most built housing is single-family; Hastings is similar to surrounding communities in the amount of missing middle.
• In response to a commissioner's question about unpermitted conversions in R-1 areas, Batelaan said the city has limited knowledge of interior changes. Many older structures are nonconforming and could not be rebuilt if badly damaged. She cited the fourplex example and said zoning code updates are intended to address housing types that are currently not permitted.

Key Outcomes

• 2026-411: Recommended approval to City Council (8-0).
• 2026-408: Recommended approval to City Council (8-0).
• 2026-409: Recommended approval to City Council (8-0).
• 2026-410: Recommended approval to City Council (8-0).
• 2026-423: Recommended approval to City Council (8-0).
• The meeting adjourned at 5:09 p.m. Motion by Sinner, second by Kindig; carried 8-0.