Step taken toward allowing retailers at business park

An ordinance that would rezone three lots at the Sidney Business Park to allow for a retail-oriented business took a step forward this week when the City Council voted in favor of the change, 3-2, after a public hearing.

Councilors Roger Gallaway, Wendall Gaston, and Chris Gay voted in support of the ordinance; Mayor Mark Nienhueser and councilor Joe Arterburn cast the two “no” votes.

To be enacted, the rezoning ordinance must pass two more readings.

The proposed change has been in discussion for the past few months after Bomgaars, which currently has a store located along Fort Sidney Road in Sidney, submitted a letter to the commission requesting a lot at the business park be rezoned to allow retail operations.

The initial three lots of the 90-acre development, which were final platted earlier this year, are designated M-2 Heavy Industrial. Because the city’s zoning regulations prohibit retail operations at such a site, the company asked the zoning be changed to C-3 Heavy Commercial, which would allow retail sales.

The Sidney Planning Commission recommended rezoning the three sites in July.

At Tuesday’s meeting, proponents and opponents spoke passionately about the effects of rezoning the three lots.

Jerry Spiker, chairman of the Planning Commission, urged councilors to vote for rezoning the three lots. He also read letter in support of the ordinance written by fellow Planning Commissioner Casey Cortney, who couldn’t attend the meeting

Spiker said the zoning change would only apply to three lots at the 90-acre business park, leaving room at the site for heavy industrial.

Developer Tim Reganis spoke in opposition to the rezoning.

“I’m not in favor of this,” he said. “My concern, you have the City of Sidney selling city property for commercial development, and you have other people trying to develop property in the city, and you’re basically competing with private individuals.”

The site was designated heavy industrial, he explained, and it should be kept that way.

“It’s hard for a private individual to compete with the City of Sidney,” he added. “You’re being unfair when you’re trying to do that to us.”

City Manager Gary Person replied that the city encourages prospective new businesses in town to work with private developers.

“We always, first and foremost, want to see property owners exceed,” Person said.

A listing of other sites owned by private developers was given to Boomgars, he explained, but the company has expressed its first choice is the business park.

Gaston said the City Council should support the Planning Commission’s recommendation

“We have the Planning Commission process for a reason,” he said. “And I think we put good people on there who are contentious people.”

The city has owned the property at the business park for 25 years and no development has occurred,” he said.

“I’m not sure how big a heavy industrial community will ever be,” he said. “It’d be nice, but I just don’t know.”

Nienhueser, who has vocally opposed the change at previous meetings, said a 20-year comprehensive plan was passed by City Council just three years ago reaffirming the site’s zoning as heavy industrial.

If the zoning were changed, where else in the city would there be a suitable site for those types of operations, he asked.

The mayor also said he was opposed to being in competition with the private sector.

“I think we’re being shortsighted,” he said. “We owe it to our citizens to stick with our plan.”