Watertown Planning Commission Rejects Downtown “Steel Container” Ordinance Change
- Steve Jurrens
- Feb 20
- 1 min read
Northeast Radio SD News - Watertown, SD - The Planning Commission encountered a setback during its routine agenda, voting 6-1 to reject a proposed amendment to the Downtown Overlay District intended to clarify building material standards.
Resolution No. (2026).-05 sought to amend Chapter 21.56 to specify that strict building material requirements only apply to “front-facing facades.” Under the proposed change, materials such as metal and plywood would remain prohibited on the front of downtown buildings, but could be used on side or rear walls.
The debate shifted to aesthetics and the use of shipping containers. “I absolutely do not want steel storage containers downtown,” Commissioner Rhonda Dargatz Johnson stated emphatically.
Chair Liam Culhane agreed, suggesting the city needed a more direct approach rather than “dancing around it” with facade language. “I think the question is simply, do we want storage containers downtown? Or do we want to prohibit that?” Culhane asked.
Despite staff explaining that the change was meant to clarify guidelines established in 2019, the board voted down the resolution, hoping to bring back a stronger, more specific ordinance in the future.
