Duncan council rejects rezoning for storage units

Mar. 28—A request to rezone property from agriculture to commercial circled back to city councilors Tuesday, but they rejected the proposal with a 1-4 vote after revisiting the previously tabled item.

Duncan Council members considered the request to rezone property located in the northwest quadrant of the Elk and Highway 7 Corridor Connector from agriculture to commercial, which was tabled on Feb. 27.

Interim City Manager Kenzie Wheeler said the City of Duncan Planning Commission reheard the request for the property filed by Chance Hogstad.

Wheeler said the property would be for around 16 acres.

"The applicant indicated that they would like to develop the property into personal storage units with a goal of about 300 units to start with but could expand if the market demand exists," she said. "Neighbors again came forward with their objections and concerns to the proposal and included: traffic congestion and accidents; current road conditions are not suitable for commercial/more traffic; concerns for increased crime near commercial property; increased noise from commercial uses; and a decrease in property values for residential uses."

Wheeler said steps and the review process for commercial buildings were shared for consideration.

"The Planning Commission discussed other potential zoning classifications that could be considered and ultimately decided to send the request to rezone the property from agriculture to C4, commercial, with an unfavorable vote," she said. "The unfavorable vote was unanimous 4-0."

She said there were no other comments addressed at the time during the Planning and Zoning meeting.

Jenny Towell and Tiffany Dennis voiced concern during public comments.

Towell said they purchased their property in December 2023.

"We bought it to have our forever home there, kind of away from city amenities, but still close to town," Towell said.

She said her concerns with rezoning the property to commercial came from an increase in traffic and the width of the road for large trucks coming and going.

Towell said it wasn't in their intentions to live next to storage units.

"It's just progressively changing," she said. "It's not consistent, so that's just worrisome of what could come."

Dennis, who spoke last month, addressed the council once again to share her concerns about the rezoning of the property.

She said some of her concerns also included an increase in traffic, damaged roads, safety, theft, accidents and the view of the countryside.

"We don't want to look at hundreds of storage units with barbed wire and fencing over the top of it, lots of lighting," Dennis said. "It's supposed to be a quiet, serene area, countryside, beautiful, and that's where we're building our house."

After the two speakers, Pete Hogstad spoke in favor of rezoning the property. He said he has additional properties in Ardmore, Kingston and they are looking at Ada.

"I don't plan to develop this anything past the initial to begin with," he said.

Hogstad said the intentions of the land were to be a "high density, residential, office or commercial property."

He said the opposing corner to the property is zoned C-4 Commercial.

Councilman Jimmy Peters said he's inclined to side with the Planning Commission.

"It's obvious that eventually Duncan's going to grow and it's going to come out this far," Peters said. "I don't really see that the infrastructure is here yet or out there yet to increase the traffic."

He said he understands storage buildings would be a smaller business on the property.

"I don't think we're to the point that we want to start rezoning to start bringing industry out there yet, until we get some more infrastructure out there," Peters said.

Councilman Gene Brown said his main concern was the C-4 rezoning, because there are other things that could go out there aside from a storage building.

"I was hoping it would come back at less than a C-4," Brown said.

Nate Schacht, Community Development Director, said a C-2 district would be classified as an office level or neighborhood style commercial development.

"It doesn't rely heavily on vehicular traffic," he said.

He said a C-4 would be a district where residents would see a thoroughfare with an increased amount of traffic and a higher use.

"By higher use, a more intense type of commercial use, meaning more activity, more people in and out" Schacht said.

But, Schacht said, the C-2 district is a lower scale of activity. He the properties in the area are currently zoned agriculture.

After hearing statements, council members did not pass the rezoning of the property from agriculture to commercial. It failed with a 1-4 vote with Councilman Peters, Councilman Nick Fischer, Councilwoman Patty Wininger and Councilman Brown voting no and Mayor Robert Armstrong voting yes.

The next Duncan City Council meeting will convene at 5:15 p.m. April 9 inside council chambers, located inside the Duncan Police Department.

More on the Duncan City Council meeting will appear in future editions of The Duncan Banner.