BROOKINGS – The Brookings City Council approved re-zoning and preliminary plats for what will become the River Run Addition, west of the Valley View Addition just south of 20th Street South during Tuesday’s meeting.

Rezoning

The council approved an ordinance to re-zone 22 acres south of 20th Street South and west of the Valley View Addition, from Residence R1-B single family district to R-3 apartment district.

Mike Struck, director of Community Development, explained the ordinance.

Keith Rounds is the owner of Blairhill Properties. He and his wife, Cathy, are the sole owners of the property in question, and are requesting the rezoning. Rounds addressed the council during the first reading in December.

Part of the reason for the R-3 zoning request is because the developer is proposing “the single family attached zero-foot side yard,” Struck said during the December meeting.

The reason they didn’t seek a different zoning designation under R-1D single family residential district is they’d have lost five or six lots “which then drives up the cost of housing for the rest of the development,” Struck said, and it cuts down on the number of families that can become homeowners.

Preliminary plats

Struck then explained the preliminary plat for the River Run Addition, a six-block, 85-lot single-family subdivision with two drainage lots located on the 22-acre parcel.

Struck explained the subdivision has six blocks: 

• Block 1 – featuring seven traditional single unit lots and 20 zero-setback lots designed for individually owned twin-home units with shared common walls. 27 lots total. 

• Block 2 – featuring two single-family lots.

• Block 3 – featuring 20 single-family lots and two outlots for drainage.

• Block 4 – featuring seven single-unit lots and six zero-setback lots designed for individually owned twin-home units with shared common walls. 13 lots total. 

• Block 5 – featuring 12 single-family lots.

• Block 6 – featuring 11 single-family lots. 

“Lots 10-26, Block 1 and Lots 2-6, Block 4 would not meet the minimum lot requirement for single-family units; however, these lots are being designed for twin-units with zero setback, and shared common wall structures. Therefore, when combining the lots for each half of the twin-unit, the minimum lot area requirement is met. The units per acre intensity proposed is consistent with the comprehensive plan,” according to the attachment to the agenda. 

The addition will include space for Habitat for Humanity to serve 35 families, the organization said last week when announcing a $1 million donation from an anonymous donor. The donation will allow Habitat to purchase 7.5 acres of land from the Roundses.

Councilor Leah Brink said residents have voiced concerns about street connectivity, “specifically why is there is only one northbound egress onto 20th Street South, instead of two roads going onto 20th Street, the way Valley View is?”

It is a developer’s proposal, Struck said.

“They do meet our connectivity requirements from providing access to the north, to the east and then a future access to the south,” Struck said. 

Brink said she was fine with it, “It was just a perception I wanted to bring up.”

She asked about sidewalk access from one subdivision to another.

“Sidewalks on residential lots are installed at the time that the house is constructed,” Struck said, and the sidewalks on the individual lots and Rapid Valley Street would connect to Valley View.

Sidewalks along 20th Street South would be part of a future street project, he said, adding the vision is to extend the shared use path to the west edge of the city limits.

Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.