City Council Approves Zoning Ordinance Amendment, RV Parking Hearing

City Hall – Oskaloosa, Iowa

by Eduardo Zamarripa, CRI Weekly News

Oskaloosa, Iowa – On Tuesday night, the Oskaloosa City Council approved an amendment to the zoning ordinance, and approved the award of contract for the C Avenue East and North 3rd Street pavement rehabilitation project to Norris Asphalt Paving Company.

The council approved an ordinance to amend an Oskaloosa zoning ordinance by re-zoning the property at 214 Highway 432 from “mixed use urban corridor with an avenue commercial corridor overlay” (UC/AV) district to a general commercial (CG) district. The individual that purchased the property was not aware of the zoning classification, and that’s why he was asking the council to re-zone the property.

Councilman Jason Van Zetten voted against the resolution because he didn’t want to continue to execute ‘spot zoning.’ Spot zoning refers to when a city re-zones a property for the benefit of an individual. According to City Attorney David Dixon, spot zoning is not illegal, but is typically not the preferred method.

The council approved the resolution with Van Zetten voting “no.”

The council then unanimously approved three separate resolutions to approve the plans, specifications, form of contract, estimate of cost, and the award of contract and bond for the C Avenue East and North 3rd Street pavement rehabilitation project to Norris Asphalt Paving Company in an amount not to exceed $765,365.

The council also received a request from the community from the Executive Director of United Way of Mahaska County, Amy Langdon. Langdon discussed the activities that United Way is involved in and talked about the work it does around the community.

One item from the agenda, a special assessment against a private property for weed cutting, was not included in the meeting.

The council also announced two vacancies to fill upon appointment:

• Building Code Board of Appeals
• Mahaska County Solid Waste Management Commission

Lastly, the council unanimously approved a resolution to hold a public hearing for ordinance amendments of Chapter 17.28 of the city code regarding off-street parking of recreational vehicles on a property. The council, along with the Planning and Zoning Commission, has proposed amendments regarding the parking of RVs.

The next City Council meeting is slated for Sep. 16 at 6 p.m.