CYL01-26

Request of Kent Hays, on behalf of the property owners, Mark and Rachel Burgess, for a preliminary plat for an adjustment of property lines that will create a new parcel combining a total of four lots. The subject property is described as Lot 4 Block 2, Hilgers subdivision AND Outlot D and Outlot E, Eagle Bluff, AND All of Parcel D-2 and Part of Parcel D-1, Blue Earth County Highway Right of Way Plat No. 28, 59618 230th Street, Mankato MN 56001, Lime Township, Blue Earth County (PID R400436177011, R400436177004, R400436177012, and R400436177007).

The anticipated date of Lime Township Board action is March 17, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at the Mankato Regional Airport.

The applicant, Kent Hays, on behalf of the property owners, Mark and Rachel Burgess.
 

Kent Hays, on behalf of Mark and Rachel Burgess, has requested the review of a preliminary plat for an adjustment of property lines that will create a new parcel by combining four lots. The proposal reconfigures parcels owned by the property owner into one new lot of 4.5 acres.
 

The subject property is described as Lot 4 Block 2, Hilgers subdivision AND Outlot D and Outlot E, Eagle Bluff, AND All of Parcel D-2 and Part of Parcel D-1, Blue Earth County Highway Right of Way Plat No. 28, 59618 230th Street, Mankato MN 56001, Lime Township, Blue Earth County (PID R400436177011, R400436177004, R400436177012, and R400436177007).
 

The land consists of 4 parcels located north of Eagle Lake and is used for residential purposes.
 

The property is located in Lime Township and is zoned Agriculture.
 

The parcels are located in the Shoreland District and in an area defined as an archaeological site.   Additionally, there is a ravine located on the southern portion of the parcel ending in 7012 abutting Eagle Lake.
 

The Lime Township Ordinance can be found at this link: Lime Township Ordinances
 

Kent Hays, on behalf of the property owners, Mark and Rachel Burgess, are requesting a preliminary plat for an adjustment of property lines that will create a new parcel by combining four lots into one new 4.5-acre lot. The four parcels that will be combined are described at Outlot E, Lot 1 Block 2 of Hilgers’ Subdivision, Outlot D, and Parcel D-1. The proposal will combine the four parcels will reconfigure into Lot 1 Block 1 of Raemar Addition.

There is currently a single-family dwelling located on the lot that the owner of the land currently resides in. As stated in Lime Township Zoning Ordinance, “The following uses shall be permitted within the A Agriculture District: Single family, non-farm dwellings” (Article 4 Zoning Map and Districts, Section 2 Agriculture, Part B Permitted Use, Subpart 4). Therefore, the use of all four parcels being combined will conform to the Agriculture zoning district.

The proposed Lot 1, Block 1, will meet the Agriculture District lot requirements by combining the parcels into a “lot [that] is not less than one (1) acre” (Article 4 Zoning Map and Districts, Section 2 Agriculture, Part F Lot Requirements, Subpart 1). The replatted land will consist of 4.5 acres, which exceeds the required one (1) acre requirement.

Blue Earth County has provided commentary on the septic system located on parcel R400436177004 that will require coordination with the agency for a compliance inspection. A recommended condition is included herein that requires the applicant to apply for a compliance inspection with Blue Earth County prior to the final plat application.  

The proposed lot combination conforms to required width and lengths described in the Lime Township Zoning Ordinance. “Every lot or plot of land on which a dwelling in erected shall have a minimum width of not less than one hundred fifty (150) feet at the building setback line and a minimum depth of not less than one hundred seventy-five (175) feet” (Article 4 Zoning Map and Districts, Section 2 Agriculture, Part F Lot Requirements, Subpart 3). The submitted site plans reflect a width of 328.99 feet and a depth of over 571 feet, thus illustrating the conformance of both the required width and depth of the required Agriculture zoning district lot requirements.

A single-family dwelling and a detached accessory structure currently resides on the parcel ending in 7004 and conforms to the lot coverage requirements listed in the Lime Township Zoning Ordinance that sates, “no more than twenty-five (25) percent of the lot area shall be covered by principal and accessory structures” (Article 4 Zoning Map and Districts, Section 2 Agriculture, Part F Lot Requirements, Subpart 4). The home and accessory structure’s square footage is 3418, which would be a 1.75% lot coverage with the proposed lot combination. Therefore, the request would conform to the amount of coverage being less than 25% on a lot.

Access to the site will remain the same off of 230^th street, which aligns with the Lime Township ordinance within the Agriculture district that states “every lot or plot of land on which a dwelling is erected shall have an approved access to a public right-of-way” (Article 4 Zoning Map and Districts, Section 2 Agriculture, Part F Lot Requirements, Subpart 5). As seen in the site plans, the applicant accesses his home of off 230^th street along the most eastern side of Miranda Trail Road. Any changes to this area are prohibited without further review and approval by the Town Board and Blue Earth County.

Given that there are no known wetlands located across the four parcels, “nor were there any indications of wetlands prior to the road realignment” a wetland delineation was not ordered (Nick McCabe, Senior Environmental Scientist). However, the owner of the land shall continue to align with the Lime Township Zoning ordinance, Blue Earth County standards, and the Department of Natural Resources standards to protect, preserve, and conserve environmentally sensitive areas and natural resources of the Township.

A completed Preliminary Title opinion letter, written by developer’s attorney, was submitted by the applicant.

A drainage report describing the current flows, expected flows, and measures to be taken to ensure flows will not cause erosion and sedimentation shall be submitted in the final plat application. The report shall describe erosion control measures to be taken to prevent erosion and sedimentation both during and after the final plat.
 

Staff respectfully submits the following findings:

1. The proposed use will ensure that to the maximum extent possible, all lands will be developed with adequate protection provided for the health and safety of residents by requiring necessary services such as properly designed streets and adequate sewage and water service. The applicant will be coordinating plans with Blue Earth County for a compliance inspection of the sewer up to conformance.
2. The applicant will continually work with Blue Earth County and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to ensure that effective protection is given to the natural resources of the community, especially groundwater and surface waters within the property.
3. The proposed preliminary plat encourages a well-planned division of land through the establishment of adequate design standards given that the request aligns well with the lot requirements within the Agriculture district.
4. The Preliminary Plat will not cause inferior developments that might adversely affect the local tax base, given that the use will remain the same as previous, residential.
5. The proposal does not place the cost of improvement against those benefitting from their construction, since the request is to combine four parcels into one lot.
6. The Preliminary Plat’s outcome will contribute to the established neighborhood which will be of lasting credit to the community.
7. The proposed use will not affect the township or county in facilitating adequate provisions for transportation and other public facilities.
8. The proposal does secure the rights of the public with respect to public lands and waters.
9. The approval of the preliminary plat will improve land records by the establishment of standards for land divisions, surveys, and plats.
10. The safeguard the interests of the public, the homeowner, the subdivider and local units of government will remain in tact since the use will remain the same as the current the only difference is the way the land is divided. All parcels will be combined into one lot and utilized for residential use.
11. The applicant will prevent, where possible, excessive governmental operating and maintenance costs.

Staff recommends approval of the preliminary plat to reconfigure the four parcels owned by the property owner into one lot with the following conditions:

1. The applicant shall apply for a compliance inspection for the sewers located on the proposed Lot 1 Block 1, with Blue Earth County prior to the final plat application.
2. Any changes to the access of the property are prohibited without further review and approval by the Town Board and Blue Earth County.
3. The owner of the land shall align with the Lime Township Zoning Ordinance, Blue Earth County, and Department of Natural Resource standards to protect, preserve, and conserve the environmentally sensitive areas and natural resources of the Township.
4. A drainage report describing current flows, expected flows, and measures to be taken to ensure flows will not cause erosion and sedimentation shall be submitted in the final plat application. The report shall describe erosion control measures to be taken to prevent erosion and sedimentation both during and after the final plat