Rezoning, Apportionment on the Docket for Benton County Commissioners

(KNSI) – The Benton County Board of Commissioners will deliberate Tuesday over whether to rezone a 56-acre parcel of land on US-10 near Rice. Reliastone LLC owns a car dealership and has run out of space at its current site. Having purchased the triangular plat in Watab Township to relocate, the company wants to have the area rezoned from B-1 to B-2, Business Enterprise.

Reliastone LLC representative Tom Friedrich wrote the board in March to justify the request. He says the plans are to use the highway frontage to showcase vehicles that are for sale and for the dealership itself. The company also wants to have a garage for repair and maintenance services located on the back half of the property. Friedrich says B-2 zoning would allow for all aspects of the potential development without forcing Reliastone to apply for a conditional use permit.

Other business before the board is apportionment following the 2020 United States Census. Benton County does not need to redraw maps created in 2012, as they are still conforming. Benton County has five districts. Total population is divided by the number of districts to get an average population. Each zone must be within ten percent of the average, either plus or minus. Currently District One comprises the eastern half of the county. District Two is the northwestern portion, including Rice. Districts Three and Four are both dedicated to Sauk Rapids. District Five is East Saint Cloud and Minden Township.

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