COURTLAND — Nine residents of Courtland were present at the City Council meeting on Thursday to show their concern to the mayor and council regarding a possible development on Riverview/Mary Lane.

Resident Samantha Janni of Mary Lane began by expressing the residents’ concerns about the possible development across the road from their property.

Janni said, “We are not opposed to the development and growth of Courtland, but we are just concerned that the water mitigation includes the extra water run-off for when homes are built. As a community, we should be involved as we are very concerned. We would like to know what is happening.”

Mayor Al Poehler replied, “Right now, we are doing nothing. We have not seen any paperwork from the developer. We have not seen any plans. I did talk to the developers that are looking into the possible development and that is about it. I just brought it up to the Zoning Department because we are talking about where we are going to go for the future of Courtland.”

“Currently the area is zoned for Agriculture so it will need to be rezoned for Residential. How long does that process take to change it?” Janni asked.

“Just one meeting,” Poehler said. “When the developers bring a plat, the area changes from Agriculture to Residential. Our Comp Plan, which is a 15-year plan, says that the area should be residential.”

Resident Lisa Gelvin-Innvaer expressed her concerns that the area is full of groundwater which needs to be considered as well as the overland flow of water as it will all flow down the hill.

Poehler responded, “We do not have any answers now, and our Comp Plan is only for development. We do not talk about groundwater in it. That is handled when the plat is brought in, and a Public Hearing is held for residents to come and express concerns.”

Council Member Pam Rodewald added, “We do not have anything yet. We do not have anything saying that anyone will build any homes. We have a maybe.”

Gelvin-Innvaer asked if the Comp Plan is publicly available and was advised that it is. Poehler explained that the council plans to send out surveys to receive public input as they update the Comp Plan in the next few months.

“We want to think about if we want to develop the property on the north side of Highway 14,” Poehler said. “We would like some businesses to come back. Input from the community is huge.”

Maintenance and Utilities Supervisor Dave Ubel reported that the new park equipment is scheduled to be installed on Monday and the mulch on Wednesday. Ubel is working with Otto Electric regarding a light for the water tower and is working with the railroad on filling in the washout by the tracks that are near the sewer line.

Rodewald will be asking Sheriff David Lange to attend the next council meeting to talk about law enforcement for municipal ordinances.

City Clerk Julie Holm reminded the council that November 5 is election day. She continues to work with Jaci Kopet of Nicollet County regarding the work of election day. The city office will be closed on Veteran’s Day, November 11.

The next meeting will be Thursday, November 7, 2024, at 7 p.m.