Should Scott County allow additional/enhanced land use options in the hamlets of Lydia, Marystown, Blakeley, Union Hill, and St. Patrick?

Hamlets are generally small, historic plats of five to twenty-five lots surrounded by a rural landscape of farmland or open space.  Lydia, Marystown, Blakeley, Union Hill, and St. Patrick are historic hamlets in Scott County.  These hamlets were established prior to the current zoning standards, and consist of a number of small residential lots with some buildings use as taverns, businesses, or churches. Hamlets can accommodate the rural lifestyle for people who cannot afford or want to maintain 2.5- or 10-acre lots but still want to live in the countryside. In Scott County, hamlet properties are serviced by private wells and septic systems.  New or expanded investment in hamlet properties is limited due to the County’s current zoning restrictions. 

The Scott County 2040 Comprehensive Plan recognized the unique characteristics of our hamlets and the desire to see them prosper, and called for the adoption of a brand new zoning district to allow new or further investment in hamlet properties. The purpose of the new overlay zoning district is to allow a mix of residential, public, and small-scale commercial uses in these areas. County staff has worked with the town boards in 2019 to establish a proposed list of allowed land uses and standards for development in the hamlets:

Proposed Uses: The new zoning district would allow the following uses in your hamlet to be built or expand through a conditional use permit:

•          Gas station/convenience store

•          Restaurant or tavern

•          Retail shop

•          Small veterinarian clinic

•          Small office building

•          Brewery

•          Temporary outdoor events and sales

Zoning Standards: The new zoning district would set rules for developing these new types of uses, including minimum lot size; front-, side-, and rear-yard setbacks; building height; screening and landscaping; exterior lighting; off-site parking requirements, and signage.

To view the specific development standards, click here to review the draft ordinance.

The County values your feedback!  Please submit your feedback on this town hall forum.  Let us know what you think of the overall concept, proposed list of uses, and proposed zoning standards.  We will share your comments with town boards, the Planning Commission, and the County Board when this new zoning district is up for formal adoption in spring 2020.