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Record of Proceedings

Kearney Planning Commission Meeting Summary – May 16, 2025

Planning Commission — Friday, May 16, 2025
BodyKearney, Nebraska
SessionPlanning Commission
DateFriday, May 16, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 51:23

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:06

Are you ready?

0:09

Morning.

0:10

I'm going to call this uh meeting of the planning commission to order and ask for a roll call, please.

0:15

Start here.

0:16

Hello.

0:17

Here.

0:17

Scott Pandor.

0:18

Here.

0:19

Baker.

0:19

Here.

0:20

Cochrane.

0:20

Here.

0:21

Record.

0:21

Here.

0:22

Yeah.

0:22

Here.

0:23

We have a quorum in accordance with section six section 84 1412 of the Nebraska revised statutes.

0:30

Uh current copy of the open meetings act is available for review and is posted on the wall of the council chambers.

0:38

You all have copy of the minutes from last month.

0:41

Is there any motion in regards to those?

0:44

Any discussion as well.

0:48

Mr.

0:48

Chairman, I can motion to approve the minutes of red.

0:50

Second.

0:51

And move to accept any additional discussion.

0:57

Malia.

0:58

Hello.

0:59

Scott Pandor.

1:01

Baker.

1:02

I Cochran.

1:03

I Red Guard.

1:04

Yeah.

1:05

I motion carries.

1:08

We have one item on the agenda today.

1:11

It has several different parts.

1:13

This is a hearing for rezoning of number, excuse me, rezoning number 2510.

1:21

Excuse me, 2025 and 10.

1:24

The application submitted by Roger Harris to West Unlimited owner to rezone from District C3, General Commercial District to District A G agricultural district for the property described assentially east of Cherry Avenue and south of East 11th Street.

1:48

This is a hearing, and uh if you are here to be heard on this, we welcome you to come to the center podium and talk to us.

1:56

Please speak in on the microphone, and uh so we can all hear you and have you in the record.

2:02

Your name and address, please.

2:05

Roger Harders.

2:07

Um my address is 1775 County Road M, Wahoo, Nebraska.

2:16

And I own West Limited LLC, and basically what we're looking at proposing here is this area here to be rezoned from C3 to AG, the 30 acres in the rear.

2:36

Um basically, so it would be this area here.

2:41

We're looking at rezoning to AG, would keep this commercial.

2:47

We've we've looked at, we've tried promoting this, but without sewer and everything else there, um at present time.

3:00

I think I'm about five or ten years too early for the commercial.

3:06

I've been approached by Keith Becker to put a sandpit in there gravel operation, and uh that's what we're we're possibly looking at doing.

3:19

Uh we would also um put rows of trees around it and berm area.

3:26

This this whole piece is in the 500-year floodplain.

3:31

So what we've looked at and done some research on, we need to raise this about two feet two feet and parts of it to get it out of the 500-year floodplain.

3:41

I think that would make it more appealing here.

3:44

Um you don't have to carry flood insurance or anything like that for a 500-year floodplain or 100 year, but uh this is uh this would make it more appealing to people in the past.

3:58

Any other reasons?

4:00

I I've owned windmill realty for 42 years.

4:06

I've been a broker with windmill realty for 42 years, and uh I'm getting old.

4:11

But anyhow, um this is a situation where like the bypass that goes around Skylar, Nebraska.

4:21

They started building a new motel out there, and uh that was in the hundred-year floodplain, and uh it ended up being FEMA redid the map after a flood, and this is something that I want to avoid is getting above that 500 year floodplain so that if they do review redo the map, maybe I'll only be in the hundred-year floodplain.

4:47

So some of the access here area that Keith is going to be taking out some of the dirt.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management█████████████████████████████████████████████57%
Zoning and Land Use█████████████████21%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████17%
Procedural██3%
Transportation Safety██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Kearney Planning Commission Meeting Summary – May 16, 2025

The Kearney Planning Commission met on May 16, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in the City Council Chambers, 18 East 22nd Street. The meeting included a public hearing on a rezoning request and an informational presentation on city water and sewer infrastructure capacity. The commission approved the minutes from the April 18, 2025 meeting and the rezoning request.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: A motion to approve the minutes of the April 18, 2025 meeting was made and seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public testimony was provided beyond the applicant during the hearing.

Discussion Items

  • Rezoning No. 2025-10 – Roger Harders (Applicant) for West Limited, LLC (Owner): The applicant requested to rezone approximately 30 acres from District C-3 (General Commercial) to District AG (Agricultural) for property described as part of the west half of the Northwest Quarter of Section 9, Township 8 North, Range 15 West, east of Cherry Avenue and south of East 11th Street. The property is located in a 500-year floodplain and is not connected to city sewer. The applicant stated he had tried marketing the site for commercial use but was told a truck stop was a "dead issue" in Kearney, and that a sand/gravel operation (requiring a future conditional use permit) was a potential use. Staff (Melissa Scott-Pandorf) noted the property was rezoned from AG to C3 in 2023 and has remained vacant; the future land use (FLU) designation is MU3 (commercial mixed use), making the proposed AG rezoning inconsistent with the FLU, but the applicant did not request a FLU amendment. Staff provided no recommendation. The commission voted to approve the rezoning motion.
  • Infrastructure Master Planning Presentation: Craig Bennett (Miller & Associates) presented an overview of the city's water and sewer systems, including historical growth, current capacity, and future projects. Key points:
    • Sanitary sewer: The city has 199 miles of sewer main, a treatment plant capacity of 5.9 MGD (currently using 3.8 MGD, 64% capacity), and hydraulic capability up to 18 MGD. The 1992 North Sanitary Sewer Study and 1999 Southwest Sanitary Sewer Study enabled development of areas like Lighthouse Point, Yanni Park, and the hospital.
    • Water system: Two well fields (northwest and Platte River/island) provide 29 MGD capacity; average peak demand is 14.6 MGD, average daily is 6.1 MGD. Three water towers serve two pressure zones. Over 244 miles of water main. Future water projects include redundant feeder lines for the new water tower on Avenue N and a cross-connection under I-80.
    • SRF (State Revolving Fund) project priorities include a $10 million trunk sewer relief project (Cherry Avenue corridor) and a $7 million gravity sewer project, plus water projects totaling $1.2 million. A $2 million EDA grant will fund a 30-inch trunk sewer construction this summer.
    • Discussion included the longevity of clay versus plastic pipe, the city's lead pipe replacement program (currently in Phase 2 from 5th Avenue to 2nd Avenue, 29th Street to 11th Street), and the observation that the city has sufficient capacity for all currently undeveloped land inside the city limits.

Key Outcomes

  • Rezoning No. 2025-10: Approved (7-0, with all present members voting in favor). The property will be rezoned from C-3 to AG. A future conditional use permit will be required for any resource extraction use.
  • Reports: The commission received the infrastructure presentation as information; no action was taken.
  • Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned by motion.

Meeting Transcript

Are you ready? Morning. I'm going to call this uh meeting of the planning commission to order and ask for a roll call, please. Start here. Hello. Here. Scott Pandor. Here. Baker. Here. Cochrane. Here. Record. Here. Yeah. Here. We have a quorum in accordance with section six section 84 1412 of the Nebraska revised statutes. Uh current copy of the open meetings act is available for review and is posted on the wall of the council chambers. You all have copy of the minutes from last month. Is there any motion in regards to those? Any discussion as well. Mr. Chairman, I can motion to approve the minutes of red. Second. And move to accept any additional discussion. Malia. Hello. Scott Pandor. Baker. I Cochran. I Red Guard. Yeah. I motion carries. We have one item on the agenda today. It has several different parts. This is a hearing for rezoning of number, excuse me, rezoning number 2510. Excuse me, 2025 and 10. The application submitted by Roger Harris to West Unlimited owner to rezone from District C3, General Commercial District to District A G agricultural district for the property described assentially east of Cherry Avenue and south of East 11th Street. This is a hearing, and uh if you are here to be heard on this, we welcome you to come to the center podium and talk to us. Please speak in on the microphone, and uh so we can all hear you and have you in the record. Your name and address, please. Roger Harders. Um my address is 1775 County Road M, Wahoo, Nebraska. And I own West Limited LLC, and basically what we're looking at proposing here is this area here to be rezoned from C3 to AG, the 30 acres in the rear. Um basically, so it would be this area here. We're looking at rezoning to AG, would keep this commercial. We've we've looked at, we've tried promoting this, but without sewer and everything else there, um at present time. I think I'm about five or ten years too early for the commercial. I've been approached by Keith Becker to put a sandpit in there gravel operation, and uh that's what we're we're possibly looking at doing. Uh we would also um put rows of trees around it and berm area.

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