By Sara Quam
Gravel miners can now apply for permits, just in time for summer construction, because the Rock County Board of Commissioners lifted the gravel moratorium Tuesday.
The board hosted a public hearing Monday night to gauge opinion on the proposed changes to the Land Use Plan.
Essentially, the gravel extractors said the conditions of the new plan were acceptable while most homeowners didnÕt quite get the restrictions they hoped for.
The moratorium was lifted Tuesday after the board adopted the Planning and Zoning Commission's aggregate extraction supplement that was amended based on the public hearing.
Key changes are:
oThe required setback for gravel extraction is 500 feet from any residential or commercial structure.
oGravel processing must be located 1,000 feet from residential and 500 feet from commercial structures. Waivers will be granted when property owners agree to a shorter setback.
oNo gravel extraction is allowed on a site that has 15 residences within a one-mile radius.
The term "gravel processing" will be clearly defined in the supplement. It was questionable whether processing includes sorting, screening or washing. Hot mixing requires a separate permit.
Commissioner Ken Hoime, who also serves on Planning and Zoning, said, "It's frustrating because it's not black and white a lot of times."
It was also suggested that the County Board consider zoning county park areas as A-1, which would mean stricter regulations. Hoime said he feared that too many guidelines could take away the power to look at each permit on a case-by-case basis.
He's also nervous about the costs incurred if mining becomes too difficult. "It could hurt us in the long run because we buy the materials back," Hoime said.
Commissioner Ron Boyenga was the only no vote to the new requirements. He said he would prefer a longer setback for residential properties.