Board denies Skinner rezone but approves conditional minor subdivision limiting three new homes

The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors concluded a three-week public hearing on a requested zoning change for a 36.5-acre parcel owned by Skinner Holdings LLC and denied the rezone from Agricultural Preservation (AP) to Agricultural Estates (AE). County planning staff described the parcel at 2374 252nd Street and said the rezone was tied to a concurrent minor subdivision.

Applicant Doug Skinner urged the board to consider the request strictly on legal and ordinance grounds and apologized for any past rhetoric. Neighbors raised concerns about density, spraying and changes to rural character: "It's totally different than — I mean, you wanna stick three more houses in 15 acres — I just don't think that's the place for it," one resident said.

When the board voted on the ordinance amendment with a restrictive covenant limiting development to no more than three additional single-family units, the motion failed (recorded as three nays, one aye, one abstention). The board nonetheless received the zoning commission's recommendation on the related minor subdivision plat and approved the plat with the same three-home restriction and corrected dimensions; that subdivision motion passed 4–0 with one abstention.