(Above) Local residents raise concerns about the potential for more heavy industry in Ranson.
A zoning change request in Ranson has prompted significant questions and concerns. Ranson staff vacancies haven’t helped matters, with the city’s Planning Commission meeting on May 1 for only the second time in nine months. Planning Commission President Mike Anderson, who also serves on the Ranson City Council, repeatedly pointed to the staff turnover and vacancies over the past year — “we can’t have a meeting without the staff to present an agenda.”
Rezoning Request Deferred
In mid-May, Todd Wilt, the newly-hired Ranson City Manager, noted that Ranson was in the process of hiring a new Community Development Director (that’s the role that oversees the planning process in Ranson) and emphasized the intent to hold monthly meetings of the Planning Commission going forward. One of Wilt’s first actions in his new role was to remove an application for rezoning from the May Planning Commission agenda, citing insufficient public notice. The parcel in question is 194 acres across Northport Blvd from the Rockwool factory. This parcel is currently in the SmartCode Residential/Commercial zone and the application is to change the zoning to Industrial. The property owner, Jefferson Orchards, states that the development options allowed in the current zoning are not viable and that the property is best suited for the uses allowed under Industrial zoning.
Local Residents Raise Concerns
Dr. Christine Wimer, representing the Jefferson County Foundation, spoke at the Planning Commission and also at the May 16 Ranson City Council meeting. In her comments and written statements, she questioned the assumption that the existing Smart Code zoning would block commercial development on the property: “Keep the smart code zoning and the existing T1 & T2 zones [natural & rural] buffer zones. The special district business available in the SmartCode zone would allow up to 120 acres for commercial development and would eliminate the possibility of uses that would have air emissions or contribute to possible water pollution.” Wimer also noted that it was the property owner’s own decision to place a restriction that blocked residential development on the parcel as part of the previous subdivision of the property to provide the land for the Rockwool factory.
June 5 Public Meeting
The Ranson Planning Commission is scheduled to meet on June 5 at 7:00 pm in the Ranson Council Chamber (312 South Mildred St). The rezoning application for the Jefferson Orchards property is expected to be on this meeting agenda, along with additional opportunity for public comment.
Update (June 28 2023): Ranson City Manager Todd Wilt reported to the City Council at its meeting on June 27 that the property owner had withdrawn the rezoning application.
By Steve Pearson