Planning commission derails city’s fast-track land swap
The City of Watertown’s plan to rush though a rezoning to facilitate construction of a controversial extension of Tenth Avenue Northwest crashed head on into an uncooperative planning commission last week.
The commission voted 4-2 Thursday to deny City Hall’s request to rezone from light industrial to highway commercial about 10.8 acres west of South Dakota Highway 20. The land is part of what is known as the old sale barn land where the city plans to build a new $22 million street department.
On May 22, the city approved, with little discussion, an agreement with Rupe Helmer, a Tulsa, OK, based developer that builds Dollar General stores, to swap about the .90 acres associated with the old Stockman’s Cafe with 1.21 acres of city owned land that would lie at the northwest corner of the intersection of a new 10th Avenue Northwest on the west side of SD Highway 20.
The city wanted the old Stockman’s cafe site to square up its frontage onto SD Highway 20. That would have been important when the city was considering a joint city hall/street department building. A parking lot for city employees was planned for that area.
But significant community opposition emerged causing the city to scrap that plan and move forward on plans to locate a new city hall in the downtown area.
The street department headquarters was moved forward separately on May 22 when the city approved an expanded contract with JLG Architects for designing those buildings.
Based on plans presented at a March 7, 2023, city council work session, Public Works Director Heath VonEye showed diagrams that the primary access to the new street headquarters would be from a newly constructed Ninth Avenue Northwest and Eleventh Street Northwest. Those roads were budgeted to cost $1.3 million.
At some point in recent meetings, city staff began advocating for a new Tenth Avenue Northwest to provide primary access to the street complex, as well as opening up the 10.8 acres north of it to commercial development. The city had projected it would receive $550,000 from selling off excess land, while 10th Avenue was projected to cost $700,000.
None of that information was presented during a quick council action on May 22 when the city council unanimously approved swapping land with Rupe Helmer. It also was not presented at the Thursday planning commission meeting.
Only a vague description of what seemed as a relatively routine change in zoning was presented to the planning commission by city staff. While staff said there was no urgency in the action, the city’s land swap agreement said it would have the property rezoned and new plats approved “no later than June 20.”
The concern among opponents and four planning commission members is that the proposed Tenth Avenue extension is in a dangerous location. The new road would empty onto a curved five-lane state highway in a 55 mph to 35 mph transition zone.
Former Watertown Public Opinion Publisher Mark Roby spoke in opposition during the public hearing. That site, he said, “is the most dangerous intersection” in town. There “are too many weird entrances coming into it.” Adding a fifth entrance on a curve is a dangerous idea, he said.
He urged the planning commission to understand the safety issues before agreeing to changes.
Also opposed was Dr. William Howard, a veterinarian who operates the nearby Watertown Animal Clinic. He indicated to city staff that he would consider purchasing the land in its existing state to buffer his clinic.
Arrow Tuck Lines owner Tim Bach said Highway 20 in that area currently “is a death trap.” His trucking business regularly enters the highway a short distance south of where the proposed Ninth Avenue Southeast intersection would be.
He complicated matters by saying his business has had a verbal easement across the land where the street department facility would be built for at least 40 years. That access let Arrow Truck lines travel from its Highway 20 location to separate land northwest of the city’s property. That access line cuts through the heart of where the new street department would be built.
That revelation, which surprised city staff, could create legal entanglements the affect street department progress.
When it came to planning commission discussion, commissioners Bonnie Oletzke, Dianna Ford, Rhonda Dargatz-Johnson and Jason Hanson all were concerned about safety.
“It’s a miracle there aren’t more accidents than there are now,” Ford said.
Dargatz-Johnson was shocked that the city would consider having its road graders, dump trucks and other heavy equipment enter onto Highway 20 at that spot, instead of farther south at the proposed Ninth Avenue Southeast.
She said the city is trying to get the street department away from residential neighborhoods and the high school, where it presently is located. Having trucks enter by a new commercial business did not make sense.
The final 4-2 vote, with commissioners Todd Kays and Blake Dahle dissenting, sets up a tough city council decision likely to come at its June 5 meeting.
The city council’s land swap agreement guaranteed Rupe Helmer that it would rezone and replat the land by June 20. It will have to run over its planning commission to make that happen.
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Planning commission derails city’s fast-track land swap
