The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors met on Tuesday morning, with one of the topics being the potential for Mason City to host a major biking event next year.Â
RAGBRAI
The supervisors were approached by the board of Visit Mason City about the opportunity to be a host city for the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI).Â
RAGBRAI is a seven-day bike ride across the state of Iowa, with 2022 aiming to be the event's 48th running. According to RAGBRAI, the event is the oldest, longest and largest recreational bicycle touring event in the world.Â
The board of supervisors was asked by the board of Visit Mason City to approve of the group signing a letter of support for Mason City to be one of the host cities for the event in 2022.Â
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The board of supervisors approved the motion unanimously to allow for Visit Mason City to sign a letter of support for the event.Â
In an email to RAGBRAI director Dieter Drake, supervisor Casey Callanan said the board is in full support of the event coming to Mason City.Â
"The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors fully supports the efforts of Visit Mason City and the City of Mason City, to be considered as an overnight host community for RAGBRAI."Â
The bike ride most recently passed through Cerro Gordo in 2018.Â
RAGBRAI is scheduled to take place from July 23-30 in 2022. The event's route is scheduled to be announced in January.
Zoning ordinance changes
The board of supervisors reviewed two amendments to zoning ordinance 15.
The first amendment reviewed by the supervisors was in regards to the board of adjustments and necessary language updates to the ordinance. The amendment would specifically allow for the board of adjustments to grant variances and special exceptions for bulk provisions. This was not made clear in the original language of the ordinance, according to county planning and zoning administrator John Robbins
The changes would add a new section for special exception to bulk standards, like setbacks, height and size requirements.Â
Robbins said that the ordinance amendment is largely procedural and just updated language in the ordinance that weren't clear beforehand, as well as updating certain sections that needed to be in compliance with Iowa code.Â
Robbins noted that the planning and zoning commission unanimously approved this amendment.Â
The board of supervisors unanimously accepted the resolution to make the changes to the ordinance, and waived the second and third considerations.Â
The second changes to zoning ordinance 15 being reviewed were in regards to the minimum acreage requirements in Cerro Gordo's A-2 district.Â
The proposed change would see the minimum size of the A-2 agricultural zoning district lowered from two acres down to one acre.Â
Robbins said that the current minimum size requirement has led to farmland needing acreage splits.Â
"One thing we tend to see is to meet minimum acreage requirements, they have to shave off a piece of farmland," Robbins said.Â
The proposed amendment was not supported unanimously by the planning and zoning commission, with one of the four members expressing concerns over the changes.Â
The amendment was also not supported by the board of supervisors, who unanimously denied the changes. The supervisors pointed to discussions over a more comprehensive plan to solve these issues.Â
"Because we're looking at a more compressive plan in the future I don't plan on supporting this," Callanan said. "I wouldn't mind revisiting it in the future, but I want to see more how the comprehensive plan comes out."Â
"I feel the same way Casey does," supervisor Tim Latham said. "We're close to starting a comprehensive review, and I think that would be the time to address this."Â
Urban Revitalization Plan
The supervisors also reviewed changes to the Urban Revitalization Plan, with hopes of accommodating the Five Star Cooperative grain storage building in North Ventura, located just north of 260th Street on Balsam Avenue. Â
The resolution to adopt the Cerro Gordo County North Ventura Urban Revitalization Plan, which would establish incentives for economic development projects in the area, according to Robbins. Â
After no members of the public commented on the plan, the resolution was adopted unanimously.Â
The supervisors then reviewed ordinance 66, an ordinance to designate the same area in North Ventura "eligible in adopting the benefits under the plan and within the specified area for the purposes of economic development."Â
The ordinance was passed unanimously by the supervisors and the second and third hearings of the ordinance were waived.Â
Zachary Dupont covers politics and business development for the Globe Gazette. You can reach him at 641-421-0533 or zachary.dupont@globegazette.com. Follow Zachary on Twitter at @ZachNDupont