vision2020@moscow.com: Kochman rezoning
Kochman rezoning
Dr. Carl Melina (cmelina@moscow.com)
Thu, 26 Oct 1995 21:58:51 -0700
The Kochman rezoning petition is due for a hearing on November 1 at
7:05pm at the Latah County Planning and Zoning meeting. This rezoning would
involve the partition of approximately 85 acres north of the Woodland Hills
subdivision on Highway 8, five miles east of Moscow. The proposal is to
rezone the area into approximately four, twenty acre parcels, and a one acre
parcel on which a shop and well now are located. There is an easement to the
well held by the North Tomer Butte Water District(NTBWSD). The NTBWD has
agreed not to oppose the division of the parcel and to provide water service
to each of the four subdivions of the parcel provided that the quit claim
deed filed by Mr. Kochman states that the parcels will not be further
divided in the future. This particular parcel of land has been the subject
of at least two subdivision proposals in the past several years in which 5
acre homesites were planned and subsequently denied by the county at the
urging of adjacent landowners and partricularly the NTBWD. The NTBWD is
interested in preventing any further arguments about smaller subdivision of
the parcel and for this reason has made the deal.
It seems to me that there is little to be gained by supporting the
20 acre partitioning since it is contrary to the county agricultural zoning
plan allowing parcels to be divided into no smaller than 40 acres, and it
seems unlikely that division of this parcel into small parcels would be
permitted since it has already been denied twice and agricultural rezoning
laws have become stiffer in the recent past. Furthermore, this represents "a
foot in the door" of the agricultural zoning plan along the Moscow-Troy
corridor. If this tract is allowed to be parcelled into smaller than 40
acres parcels others will be sure to follow.
Mr. Kochman has indicated to an adjacent landowner that he intends
to give the 20 acre parcels to his children, but with the water rights
described above I see development of the 20-acre parcels as a more likely
option. Development of small acreages will increas the cost of farm land and
begin the upward price spiral that will discourage agriculture in favor of
housing development.
This is an important decision by the Planning and Zoning Board and
deserves the attention of all Latah County residents who understand the need
for a preservation of our agricultural legacy here on the Palouse.
Hopefully, more information will be available soon. Please be
involved. The president of the North Idaho Water District is Dan Green, of
Eastman Acres, 882-6650. He may be able to provide more inside information.
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