By Tim Douglass

tdouglass@pctribune.com

The Pope County Board approved the application by Casey Ritter to construct a non-farm residence (a home)on a quarter section of land located in Chippewa Falls Township that is  zoned as Agriculture Protection (A-2). 

The home construction in an A-2 zoned area must be approved by Conditional Use Permit (CUP) as prescribed in Section 7.3.K. of the Pope County Land Use Controls Ordinance, it was stated.  The Pope County Planning Advisory Commission did take this application and request under consideration at their June 27 meeting voting in unanimous support of a motion to recommend approval, it was stated by Pope County Land and Resources Management Director David Green.

The full board voted unanimously to approve the CUP on July 16.

In another action, the board approved a resolution amending the Pope County Floodplain Management Ordinance.  Green reported that Pope County’s floodplain areas were re-evaluated  using better technology that will result in more accurately mapped flood hazard boundaries within the county.  

Green said the Flood Insurance Rate Maps will become effective on September 26, of this year.  

The county is required to update and amend its Floodplain Management Ordinance to align with FEMA regulations and maintain Pope County’s eligibility for the National Flood Insurance Program. The amended Floodplain Management Ordinance has been drafted in consultation with the Minnesota DNR and follows the state’s model floodplain ordinance, according to Green.  

He said the DNR had reviewed the proposed Floodplain Management Ordinance and granted Conditional State Approval of the ordinance on June 13.

“I want to commend you and your staff for all the work on this,” said Paul Gerde, Chair of the Pope County Board of Commissioners.  “You and your staff did a lot of work to make this happen,” he added.