.jpg)
HARTINGTON — Building permits and zoning dominated the discussion at Monday’s standing-room-only Hartington City Council meeting.
Kim Hively made her second appearance in front of the council Monday to express her concern about the new trend of building a combination shop or oversized garage and house.
Hively said she has no problem with the construction of a so called ‘shouse’ but wants to make sure anyone building one of these follows the proper guidelines.
'I'm a rule follower. I think it's fine if people want to build these, but I think they need to follow the rules,' she told council members.
Hively addressed the city council in August about concerns she had with a 'shouse' that was being built in her neighborhood. She said it was being constructed in such a way that it appeared to be a warehouse that did not belong in a residential area.
She reiterated her concerns Monday, saying it appears to be too late to do anything about the 'so-called shouse' in her neighborhood, but she would like to make sure this sort of thing cannot continue.
Hively said she examined all of the city codes she could find looking for something about the construction of a combination house-garage.
“There is nothing in there about this new concept of ‘shouses,” she said. “Before anymore of these are built, I think you, as a city, need to define what it is and get some rules in place.”
Hively suggested that when someone submits a plan, they should submit blueprints and that a city official should make sure those blueprints are followed.
Mayor Mark Becker said he is not aware of any particular ordinances that would regulate the construction of a ‘shouse.”
“Right now we have no barndaminimum or ‘shouse’ regulations in our ordinance book. I think we should maybe take a look at that,” he said.
Becker assured the audience the city’s Zoning Administrator will be more involved than he has been in the past in following up to make sure projects are up to code Also Monday, the Council held two public hearings with no one commenting on either one.
A hearing was held for a Class C liquor license for Josh Fritz who recently purchased the Main Street Bar.
A public hearing for a replat of property owned by Richard Noecker was also held.
