(Spirit Lake)– Plans for a major retail and commercial development in Spirit Lake took another step forward Tuesday evening.
The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously in favor of recommending land for the Iowa Great Lakes Towne Center project be rezoned from Agricultural to Highway Commercial.
There was no mention as to any specific business that will be going into the development. David Stein Junior, a Milford attorney representing developer Marty Benskin, who was also at Tuesday’s meeting, said they’ll be bringing those for consideration on an individual basis to the commission and city council once the platting process is underway.
There was a considerable amount of discussion prior to the vote by a handful of people on hand at the meeting. Arnolds Park resident Rich Meyer was among them, expressing concern over any potential impact the development would have on Drainage District 22, which was singled out earlier this spring for dumping a large amount of silt into East Lake Okoboji. Meyer says East Lake Okoboji is being turned into “a huge storm sewer”.
The rezoning is for 115 acres of land north of the stables between the former railroad right-of-way, now the bike trail, and Highway 71.
