by Andy McCallister
The Crete News;   
The Crete Planning Commission heard a request for rezoning on a block just west of the downtown area and discussed possible zoning requirements for various types of tower structures in residential areas at their monthly meeting Monday at City Hall.

Roger Clark appeared before the commission to request a zoning change from I-1 (industrial) to C-2 (commercial) on a portion of property he owns north of 10th Street on the block between Pine and the alley to the west.

Clark wants to construct a building for storage, and the I-1 zoning on the small “island” area in the middle of a large R-4 (residential) and C-2 area has setback regulations that are too restrictive for the building he has in mind.

The I-1 zoned area, confined roughly to the south third of the block located north of 10th between Pine and Quince, is adjacent to a railroad spur line but is otherwise residential in character.

“It’s clear that the small I-1 area isn’t doing anybody any good,” commission member Scott Kuncl said, “but we have to think about how this fits in with the rest of the neighborhood.”

After some discussion, the commission voted 6-0 with one abstention to deny the rezoning request, encouraging Clark to instead explore the option of asking for a variance to the setback guidelines so that he could construct his building.

Discussion continued on tower zoning regulations. The commission was asked last month to examine the creation of guidelines limiting the height of towers permitted on residential structures for wind energy generation and various types of antennae.

City Attorney Steve Reisdorff noted the existence of a loophole in the current city statutes allowing the construction of practically any kind of tower as long as it complies with Federal Aviation Administration regulations.

The commission asked Reisdorff to craft a stop-gap ordinance that would allow the building of such towers only by special exception permits granted through the City Council for consideration at their next meeting on March 22.

Commissioners briefly continued their discussion on future zoning change possibilities in the northeast quadrant, tabling that issue for further consideration next month.