The annexation of Wiele Chevrolet drove a fair amount of discussion on Tuesday, March 5, during the West Liberty City Council meeting.
The annexation of the automotive dealership, located northwest of town along Highway 6, was approved back in September of 2023.
Wiele Chevrolet requested the annexation, a process by which a city municipality acquires new territory, most commonly by expanding its boundaries into adjacent land.
Homes and businesses that are annexed by the city gain access to city utilities, such as water, wastewater and electric services.
Engineer for Veenstra and Kimm, Leo Foley, was on hand to discuss connecting Wiele, as well as the broader area, to city water and sewer lines.
“We’re kind of looking at a broader picture of how do we service not only that area, but other areas in that whole region, that whole part of town,” said Foley.
He says that to connect the dealership and other properties in the area to the city sewer lines will require a lift station or grinder system, at least for now.
Meanwhile, the city council approved the first of three votes (readings) to rezone the property from agriculture to commercial.
“The Wiele’s recently annexed their property, and when you do a new annexation it comes in as A-1 for agriculture,” explained City Manager Lee Geertz.
Next, the city is looking to rezone 35 parcels of land located on the west side of N. Elm St. from Railroad Park to Rainbow Dr., approving the first of three readings during the meeting.
The council voted unanimously in favor of changing the zoning from industrial districts into residential and commercial districts. Two more votes are required before its finalized.
The reason, development during the last few years along Elm St. has not followed M-2 (Heavy Industrial) guidelines, but rather C-2 (General Retail) guidelines, for the most part.
So, the city is looking to rezone the area to better reflect the actual businesses and housing units that are in the area.
“What we’re attempting to do is correct the section based on what is currently there,” explained City Manager Lee Geertz.
Right now, the West Liberty Heritage Park and Museum, along with West Liberty High School and its new athletic facility fall within the area being rezoned.
However, several industries also exist in and near the proposed area. Members of the community showed up during the public hearing for the rezoning, where they voiced concerns.
Industries near or in the proposed rezoning are concerned that it will inhibit their ability to sell or expand in the future. They’re fine today, but what about tomorrow?
“You’re considered non-conforming, it doesn’t affect the taxes, it doesn’t affect what you’re actually doing there,” answered Terry Goerdt, West Liberty Building Inspector.
“As long as you continue to do business there and you don’t quit operations for more than a year, even if it sells, it sells with the land, it doesn’t go with the ownership,” he said.
Basically, industries that are already in the area will remain heavy industrial, even if they sell the business. The stipulation is that they can’t be shut down for more than a year.
“I just want to make sure, that we are absolutely sure, that their businesses will be nonconforming,” said Councilmember Dana Dominguez before the first vote.
“My thinking is that since we cannot do any additional readings tonight, this gives an opportunity for the folks who are here and others to consider this thing in greater detail,” said Mayor Mark Smith.
The motion passed 5-0, but as mentioned before it will require two more readings, or votes, before it is finalized.
In Other News…
-Wastewater baseline improvements to the west water plant will need to be completed in several phases moving forward, with the most important aspects like the screw pumps being tackled first.
-Engineer Foley reported that the revitalization of well #2 is nearly complete in the West Liberty Power Plant. The $125,000 project requires some additional electric work, while the newly completed roof needs to be leak tested.
-The Utility Committee met to identify and interview applicants for a new Electric Superintendent; the city should be hiring for the position soon.
-The council approved a vendor voucher claims list (expenditures) totaling $455,0889.36, as well as a Request for Quote (RFQ) for sidewalk repair in the City of West Liberty.
-The West Liberty Volunteer Fire Department Ladder Truck was approved for repairs not to exceed $60,000, even though the department was unable to get three quotes due to the limitation of who could actually do the required work.
-Slightly Vintage, located in the downtown area, was awarded reimbursement from a West Liberty Economic Development Matching Fund Grant for improvements to the business.
- The council approved payment to D.C. Taylor Co. for the Well #2 Roofing Project at the West Liberty Electrical Plant.
-After coming out of closed session, Councilmember Cara McFerren made a motion towards researching the possibility of acquiring property within the City of West Liberty. It passed 5-0.