(Okoboji)– Plans for a parking lot in a residential area on Lakeshore Drive in Okoboji were dealt a defeat at Tuesday evening’s Okoboji City Council meeting.
There was some initial discussion over the plans at the council’s February meeting, which at that time included a park. Michael Jensen, owner of O’Farrell Sisters who’s also developing some neighboring properties, told the council Tuesday evening based on concerns from neighbors, he has dropped plans for the park but is still requesting a parking lot at 1110 Lake Shore Drive.
Councilman Jim Delperdang expressed concern, siting previous attempts by the former owner of a number of businesses in the area to do something similar that wound up in lawsuits against the city that eventually went all the way to the Iowa Supreme Court…
“It’s exactly the same, and we consistently said no. For us now to turn around and entertain this, I think it just flies in the face of all what we had to do over the years.”
Jensen argued otherwise…
“You’re talking out of both sides of your mouth on that one because you’re saying the precedence of the, what you did with Parks in that scenario, but a variance by definition is a case by case looking at a problem and solving a problem and is not by any means changing zoning or setting precedence.”
City Administrator Michael Meyers, who also serves as the city’s Zoning Administrator, said he’s researched the matter and determined that the only way a parking lot could be allowed in a residential area would be through amending text in the ordinance. Council member Julie Andres said she’s concerned over the precedence a change like that would make…
“How in the world would we ever handle it then, if somebody in another residential neighborhood in the city of Okoboji, forget about around O’Farrells, think of anywhere. How would we ever handle that? I don’t know how we could look ourselves in the mirror then. I think we would be putting ourselves into a really difficult position and I don’t think that’s what our citizens, I don’t think that’s what our residents want.”
A motion to refer the matter to the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission for revised text to allow parking lots in residential areas died due to lack of a second.
