Buchanan County approves multiple rezoning requests, advances zoning ordinance and land-use plan
March 30, 2026 | Buchanan County, Iowa
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The Buchanan County Board of Supervisors on March 30 approved multiple rezoning petitions and advanced countywide zoning and land-use changes.
The board approved rezoning requests for properties in Washington Township — rezoning 4.65 acres from A-1 to A-2 — and approved additional individual zoning requests after public hearings. The board also approved a rezoning in Hazleton Township from A-1 to R-3 with a condition allowing one additional single-family dwelling for a total of two on the parcel; that approval was recorded 3–0.
Zoning Director Lorenzen presented each case at public hearings. For the Washington Township parcel the board adopted Resolution 26-31, and for the Hazleton Township parcel the board adopted Resolution 26-33, each approved by a 3–0 vote.
In a separate agenda item the board approved the first reading of a comprehensive zoning ordinance amendment (filed as a first reading under Resolution 26-34). The amendment addresses accessory building standards including placement in side or rear yards, maximum sizes expressed as a percentage of the required rear yard, and height limits (examples in the draft include an 18-foot limit for some accessory buildings with other sections allowing up to 28 feet). The ordinance text also references WECS (wind energy conversion systems) in the A-2 district and updates bulk and lot requirements across zoning districts.
The board also approved the first reading of an amendment to the county’s comprehensive land-use plan. Planning and Zoning removed obsolete charts and census tables from the plan, moved figures to the appendix, updated the cover photo, and refreshed names to reflect current board and commission membership; the board approved the first reading 3–0.
No substantive amendments to the ordinance or land-use plan were recorded at the meeting; the first readings advance the items for subsequent consideration under county procedure. The board’s approvals followed public hearings opened and closed at the meeting; individual applicants were presented by Zoning Director Lorenzen.
The board approved rezoning requests for properties in Washington Township — rezoning 4.65 acres from A-1 to A-2 — and approved additional individual zoning requests after public hearings. The board also approved a rezoning in Hazleton Township from A-1 to R-3 with a condition allowing one additional single-family dwelling for a total of two on the parcel; that approval was recorded 3–0.
Zoning Director Lorenzen presented each case at public hearings. For the Washington Township parcel the board adopted Resolution 26-31, and for the Hazleton Township parcel the board adopted Resolution 26-33, each approved by a 3–0 vote.
In a separate agenda item the board approved the first reading of a comprehensive zoning ordinance amendment (filed as a first reading under Resolution 26-34). The amendment addresses accessory building standards including placement in side or rear yards, maximum sizes expressed as a percentage of the required rear yard, and height limits (examples in the draft include an 18-foot limit for some accessory buildings with other sections allowing up to 28 feet). The ordinance text also references WECS (wind energy conversion systems) in the A-2 district and updates bulk and lot requirements across zoning districts.
The board also approved the first reading of an amendment to the county’s comprehensive land-use plan. Planning and Zoning removed obsolete charts and census tables from the plan, moved figures to the appendix, updated the cover photo, and refreshed names to reflect current board and commission membership; the board approved the first reading 3–0.
No substantive amendments to the ordinance or land-use plan were recorded at the meeting; the first readings advance the items for subsequent consideration under county procedure. The board’s approvals followed public hearings opened and closed at the meeting; individual applicants were presented by Zoning Director Lorenzen.
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