Seward County Independent

    The Seward County Board of Commissioners heard from plenty of producers with concerns over the county's proposed comprehensive plan and zoning regulations at a public hearing April 3.
     No one spoke in favor of the proposed changes and most opposition focused on the addition of transitional agricultural and rural residential land in the eastern third of the county on the proposed future land use map.
     "Agricultural production in eastern Seward County is still a viable thing," Monty Klintworth said. "It's been hurt by the acreage development."
     The map would add transitional agricultural zoning to major transportation corridors and rural residential zoning to the eastern side of the county near Garland.
     Under the proposed plan lot sizes in rural residential use areas may be a minimum of 20 acres with a maximum of eight residences per quarter-section.
     If developers meet additional criteria, however - such as locating near paved roads or highways, building a centralized water and sewage system and connecting to municipal or public water and sewer systems - they can build as many as 16 residences per quarter-section and the minimum lot size can be as small as one acre.
     The possibility of residential growth on the east side of the county had several area producers worried about the impact on already scarce water resources.
     Jack Daniel of Denton told the board that because eastern Seward County groundwater is less abundant it takes much longer to recharge.
     "The water in this area is older water. It's taken a long time to get there," Daniel said.
     Steve Dierberger of Bee echoed Daniel's concerns. He told the board that ponds and lakes in the northeast part of the county are drying up.
     "We don't seem to be recharging our water table and I'm concerned about the density increase," he said.
     The plan does account for water scarcity, creating a natural resource protection overlay district in eastern Seward County. New development in the overlay district would be subject to more stringent requirements, such as connecting to municipal or public water and sewage systems.
     "Groundwater in (the eastern third) of Seward County is a scarce commodity due to the geological development of the state," the plan says. "Specific criteria will need to be established and followed in order to allow (residential) uses to exist where the resources are most abundant and have the least impact on neighboring properties."
     While Daniel thanked the board for identifying the eastern county as a "water shortage area," he maintained that the plan did not go far enough to protect groundwater resources.
     "The future map is way over-density populated," Daniel said. "We do not want to be a dumping ground for Lancaster County."
     The expansion of transitional agricultural zoning was a concern to many at the hearing, as well. While the current county zoning map designates land within a half-mile radius of the edge of a community's jurisdiction as transitional ag land, if the proposed future land use map is adopted approximately one-fourth of the county's land would be labelled as transitional agricultural.
     Larry Dedick of Pleasant Dale told the board that he was concerned that the future land use map, if adopted, would be used to justify rezoning areas of the county.
     The commissioners tabled action on the plans and set the item on the agenda for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 24, in the Seward Civic Center auditorium.
     "I need to spend some more time to look at some of the changes that were made to the document and to research the input that's been presented here today at this public hearing," Commissioner Ron Minchow said. "I know when it's all said and done it's not going to please everybody."
     The plan was prepared by JEO Consulting Group, Inc., headquartered in Wahoo.
     The Seward County Planning Commission recommended approval of the plan at its Feb. 26 meeting with a vote of 7-1 with one member abstaining.