Highly Contested Bismarck Rezoning Public Hearing Tuesday Night

Location. Location. Location.

The long-time mantra of the real estate industry. The idea is that nothing else compares to location when evaluating a property. I just bought a house in southwest Bismarck and the location had a lot to do with it. I've always preferred dwelling in lower-lying areas to hide from the persistent prevailing North Dakota winds.

So frankly I'm a little surprised Bismarck went north so fast. That's a lot of wide-open prairies.

I'm certain there are a lot of factors that go into why one area expands faster than another. Probably goes something like- Availability. Availability. Availability. But what happens when you get in the early stages of an area's development? You're enjoying the best of both worlds, in this case, it's the city to the south and the country all around you. Location right?

Inevitably others may seek the same serene surroundings you've been enjoying.

It seems this week there are two back-to-back nights of public hearings inviting the public's input on proposed rezoning requests that could change some land's designation from Agriculture to Residential. So here's a peek at what's being proposed.

Bismarck City Commission to hold public hearings

Notice is hereby given that the Bismarck City Commission will hold public hearings on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at 5:15 p.m. in the Tom Baker Meeting Room, City-County Building, 221 North 5th Street, Bismarck, North Dakota, to consider the following items:

• Request of Tyler Coulee, LLP, Bismarck North Developers, LLC, Ron Knutson, Henry and Jeanette Albers, and Paulette Thurn and Michael Hoffman for approval of the annexation and zoning change from the A – Agriculture, R5 – Residential, and R10 – Residential zoning districts to the R5 – Residential, R10 – Residential, P – Public zoning districts for Elk Ridge Third Addition, a 98-lot subdivision on 158.99 acres. The property is located in northwest Bismarck, between River Road and East Valley Drive, east of Promontory Point VI Addition along the east side of Tyler Parkway (a replat of Lots 1-2, Block 3 and Lot 1, Block 4, Eagle Crest 6th Addition and Auditor’s Lot A of the SE1/4 of Section 18 and part of the SE1/4 of Section 18, and part of the NE1/4 of Section 19, T139N-R80W/Hay Creek Township).

• Request of Ron and Ruth Knutson for approval of a zoning change from the A-Agricultural and R5-Residential zoning districts to the R5-Residential, R10-Residential, Conditional R10-Residential and Conditional RT-Residential zoning districts for Boden Addition, a 52-lot subdivision on 20.0 acres. The property is located in north Bismarck, on the east side of North Washington Street and the south side of East Lasalle Drive (a replat of Lots 2 and 3, Block 1 and Lot 4, Block 2, Boulder Ridge Fifth Addition and part of the W1/2 of Section 16, T139N-R80W/City Lands).

The City of Bismarck is encouraging citizens to provide their comments for these hearings via e-mail. The comments will be sent to the City Commissioners and included with the minutes of the meeting. Please submit your written comments by 3:30 p.m. on the day of the meeting and reference the specific item your comment addresses, including the agenda item.

But wait, not to be outdone, there's another public hearing scheduled for Wednesday

Bismarck Planning and Zoning Commission to hold public hearings

Notice is hereby given that the Bismarck Planning & Zoning Commission will hold public hearings on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. in the Tom Baker Meeting Room, City-County Building, 221 North 5th Street, Bismarck, North Dakota, to consider the following items:

• Request of Santa Fe, LLP for approval of a zoning change from the A – Agricultural zoning district to the R10 – Residential zoning district for Tract 24A and part of Tract 24B, Section 24, T139N-R81W/West Hay Creek Township. The property is located northwest of Bismarck, west of Tyler Parkway at the western terminus of Del Rio Drive.

Interested parties may submit written or email comments regarding these requests no later than 8:00 AM the day of the meeting to the Community Development Department. Click on this link to find out how.

Your location is great until everyone wants to encroach upon it. That's progress I guess. But I'm certain that many Bismarck/Burleigh County residents will submit their thoughts on that particular kind of progress.