The Dorr Township Planning Commission Tuesday evening voted unanimously to approve a request to rezone a 32.3-acre parcel on 140th Avenue from agricultural to rural estates.
Marc and Denise Jones asked for the rezoning at 1474 140th Ave., to split the parcel in two. The couple is divorcing and Denise insists she and her two children can’t afford to live in the house on such a large tract of land. She said she wants to be able to sell the other parcel.
The Joneses indicated they had leased much of the parcel to a farmer who stopped the practice this year, perhaps because of so much rain.
“We don’t want to develop the land,” she said. “We just want to keep the house, the barn and pasture. We didn’t want to split it.”
Marc Jones said, “This is our last resort.”
Lori Castello, zoning enforcement administrator from Professional Code Inspections, said she went over the check list and determined the request is not for spot zoning, adding, “The feasibility of it being developed is pretty slim.”
She added that farming is a permitted activity in rural estates zoning.
The only objection was from Commissioner Larry Doelgowski, a local lifetime farmer who fears that continued residential encroachment will diminish agricultural pursuits in the township.
Castello acknowledged that the township’s question is, “Is farmland preservation the highest priority in the township?” But she added, “There may be places where agriculture is not the end-all and be-all.”
The limit of four splits for the property was reached before the Jones bought it and the maximum size allowed would be two acres. Thus, the couple is seeking rezoning.
The commission voted 7-0 to recommend rezoning to the Township Board at its Thursday, June 27, meeting.