City Council Approves Dakota Commons Annexation and Rezoning: Focus on Housing Growth
- Steve Jurrens
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News - Watertown, SD - The Watertown City Council has approved the final measures for the Dakota Commons annexation and rezoning proposal on a 5-1 vote, concluding a healthy public hearing and debate. Councilman Doug Allen recused himself from the vote. Councilman Brent Mohrmann cast the sole dissenting vote on the two key zoning actions. The project is designed to introduce commercial, single-family attached, and multi-family residential zoning.
The council approved the rezone of $3.7$ acres from PUD (Planned Unit Development) to new commercial, R2, and R3 designations, moving the project forward.
Debate Focuses on Consistency vs. Community Need
The debate highlighted the conflict between preserving established neighborhood expectations and the urgent need for community growth.
Proponent Testimony from developer Jacob Mills stressed the city's critical need for attainable housing amid low vacancy rates. Developers confirmed the proposed multi-family buildings were designed to be comparable in scale and footprint to the existing R2 twin homes, with plans for extensive landscaping to ensure the project blends into the neighborhood aesthetic. It was also noted that an older, existing R3 zone in the northern part of the development made the concept of multi-family housing non-contradictory to the overall master plan.
Opponent Testimony focused on the perceived breach of the neighborhood's original vision of "commons" and spaciousness. Seven residents testified against the proposal during the public hearing, citing concerns over a significant increase in traffic congestion on Park View Trail and the potential for the three-story buildings to affect property values and residential privacy negatively.
Dissenting View: Councilman Mohrmann, the lone "Nay" vote, argued that the city has an obligation to maintain consistency with zoning, stating the rules should not be changed for parcels directly across the street from existing homeowners who purchased with different expectations.
Supporting View: Mayor Holien and other council members emphasized that the city's severe housing shortage—a key factor in future prosperity—outweighed the difficulties of localized change. Council members noted the developer’s attempt to mitigate impact by strategically locating the R3 zone in a less-established development area.
Community Development Manager Brandi Hanten confirmed that the developer has also provided an option for a secondary access point onto 19th Street if future traffic studies mandate it.
The successful passage of the measures allows for the diverse development to move forward, which includes C2 Local Commercial, R3 Multi-family Residential, and R2 Single-Family Attached Residential zones.
