[Winona Online Democracy]
Thank you Mr. Finn for asking your questions in an undemanding fashion.
While I don't have the documents in front of me, I will try and answer your
questions as accurately as memory allows.
The petitioner wanted to build a house on 4 acres adjacent to their aging
parents home so that they could be available to attend some of the needs
that can come with aging. The parcel has no public road frontage as
required by the ordinance but is within a few hundred feet of a public road
and an easement/access by means of a cartway to the parcel does exist. Mrs.
Miller owns a nearby parcel of 150 acres which is accessed by the same
easement/cartway. She must pass by the existing home (there is currently
one home and would be two had the variance been granted) on the cartway to
access her 150 acres which currently contains a newer retreat/cabin.
The board recommended that the petitioner could approach a neighboring
land owner and attempt to buy enough land to meet the size/width standard of
a township road, improve it to township standards, and then offer to
dedicate it to the township as a public road. This is not an uncommon or
unlawful practice. The same solution was offered to Mrs. Miller has she had
in the past requested a permit to build a home on her land. The same public
road standard had prevented her from doing so. It seems that lots of people
want to live in beautiful Wilson Township because of the esthetics rural
Wilson living has to offer ;>) I think the board provided a potential
solution that both property owners could benefit from.
The conflict you speak of relates to a Miller's owned parcel existing on
the Homer side of Pleasant Valley/County Road 17 and was not an issue in
this variance petiton.
Mike Kirschmann
----- Original Message -----
From: "John N. Finn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, August 13, 2005 7:09 AM
Subject: Re: [Winona] community/city
[Winona Online Democracy]
I know this is besides the point you were making. But now I'm curious
about
what the variance mentioned in your example would have been for, what Mrs.
Miller's concerns were, and what the townships residents' interests were.
As
you are probably aware, during the annexation process our Mayor was said
by
some to have had a conflict of interest due to owning land in the area.
John N. Finn
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
A little closer to home for me, at a very recent Wilson Township
Variance
Hearing, the First Lady of Winona was guest in attendance. A township
resident/registered voter was requesting a variance from the township
zoning
ordinance, as is their right. Mrs. Miller, while not a
resident/registered
voter of the township, is a neighboring property owner of the variance
requestor, and was invited to and did attend the hearing. During the
Public
Hearing portion of the meeting Mrs. Miller was given the floor and spoke
of
her concerns regarding the variance request. The Variance Board listened
closely and tried to address and answer her questions. They had merit
but
were not conclusive enough to deny the variance. However, because of her
concerns, the board recommended that the petitioner withdraw their
request
until certain of her concerns were addressed and the petitioner
graciously
agreed to do so.
Considering recent Wilson/Winona history it would have been easy for
the
board to place the township residents' interests ahead of Mrs. Miller's
and
go ahead and grant the variance. The board did not.
I was proud and pleased in how that board responded. I thought it was
a
moment when we all recognized what was best for the greater community.
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_______________________________________________
This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy
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