I encourage you all to start following a major topic for the joint Board and Planning Commission Roundtable discussion this Wednesday night. Joining on Zoom makes it easy to follow - see clerk email notices with the Zoom link.

The Board and PC are exploring re-making the character of Eureka, including increasing housing density and bringing in various levels of commercial and industrial zones with "buffers".  Let's start first with housing density, since it is a simpler subject than complex business development layers.

Here are some questions that would be helpful as a base line to be answered for any serious consideration of housing density:

1. Approximately how many houses exist in Eureka?

2. About how many new houses are built per year?

3. How many unused housing rights are available currently?

4. If our current base of Agricultural zoning of one housing right per quarter-quarter section (approx. 40 acres) is increased to 4, how many additional housing rights would be created in Eureka?

5. Would there be a corresponding new minimum lot size?

 OK, I'll apologize for sand-bagging you a bit.  I already know the answers to those questions. It is all cataloged in my database of Eureka properties created from County and Eureka records based on our Zoning ordinance features. I created it with the intent that Eureka would adopt it and assume upkeep by the clerical staff after being trained by me (free).

Ask your Board those 5 questions and see how they answer.  In a few days, I'll provide the answers and you can grade the Board.

My plan of a free donation of the database had to be slightly changed due to a Eureka Town Attorney pointing out that I could be included in any legal dispute but wouldn't be covered by township liability insurance. I'll get into more background on this as a separate post subject. But the 2022 Board, then 2023, and so far the 2024 Board have not been interested in pursuing this nearly free, huge time saving tool for the clerks and Planning Commission. It enables much faster response (as in minutes instead of hours potentially spread over days as clerks have the time) to questions property owners may raise versus rummaging through paper files. 

There are about 170 properties that MAY have a grandfathered housing right. Do you have 1 or 2 of them? I have a report listing them all that I showed to the Board at the beginning of 2023, but they chose not to share it on the Eureka website with you, the public.  (Note - the Township does not have the property records to certify - only Dakota County property records in Hastings can provide the legal documents needed to prove grandfathering. But most do prove true.)

 Back on topic: After this first step of 5 questions above, wouldn't it then be prudent to consider the traffic impact of substantial growth generating higher maintenance needs? This can then be translated to property tax impact on current property owners during the "accelerated" growth years.  You've seen school districts translate their budget requests to property tax impact, shouldn't we expect the same?

Be careful what you wish for.