In a unanimous vote last week, the Wright County Board of Commissioners approved an amendment to the zoning ordinance allowing schools with 150 students or less as a conditional use in the General Agriculture district.

 

The issue first came before the Wright County Planning Commission last November when Jane Goodall Environmental Sciences Academy (JGESA) requested the amendment to locate a permanent school in the county.

JGESA is a free, public charter school located on 300-plus acres in rural Maple Lake. 

 

At the November  planning meeting, Jackie Longhenry of JGESA said the school, in its third year, serves about 100 students, including special needs children. The school is currently operating under a conditional use permit (CUP) from Corinna Township at the Camp Courage property. 

 

The location with the lake, woods and natural area makes a perfect setting for their school. They wanted to partner with True Friends for a permanent school, but under the county’s existing ordinance, it wouldn’t be allowed.

 

Although last week’s vote was unanimous, it took two planning meetings and two county board meetings before the amendment language was finally agreed upon. The amendment had to cover all potential schools, not just the Jane Goodall School.

 

There were concerns about locating a large facility in a rural setting - far from services like water, sewer and fire and police protection. 

 

“My biggest concern was the infrastructure - timeliness to response times, fire response times, medical response times and road infrastructure,” said Bommissioner Darek Vetsch.           

 

“Those are the biggest concerns that I have in changing our previous practice to today’s practice. Decades ago we switched from having country schools and bringing them into urban settings  for infrastructure needs. Now we’re looking to change, and I don’t want to make that change hastily.”

 

Schools must meet the following standards under the ordinance amendment to be allowed as an interim use in agricultural districts:

 

The school (1) is supported in whole or in part with funds from the State of Minnesota; (2) is regulated or licensed by the Commissioner of Education; (3) is located on a parcel of land that is at least 80 acres in size, and has substantial and significant environmental features, such as lake shoreline features, wooded areas and wetlands; (4) has an enrollment capacity of 150 pupils or less; (5) has as an essential part of its mission, purpose, or vision an educational component that is significantly related to the environment or nature; (6) is an accessory use to an existing non-profit organization that provides camp and education experiences.

 

Also schools (1) must not create an excessive demand upon existing services or amenities; (2) must be screened or able to be screened adequately, or are sufficiently separated from adjacent residences to prevent negative impacts to nearby properties; (3) must have an appearance that is consistent and compatible with the surrounding area and land uses; (4) must not cause traffic hazards or undue congestion; (5) must not negatively impact surrounding residences and neighbors by the intrusion of noise, glare, odor, or other adverse effects.

 

Also included in the amendment is a repealer that terminates the amendment on June 30, 2020. At that point, the county can decide whether to renew the amendment.

 

“That give us some history, at which time we could come back and decide if we want to permanently allow schools to locate in townships,” said Vetsch, “or if we feel not comfortable based on the history and not make the permanent change.”