Residents weigh in on future plans

After a pandemic delay of more than a year, the final public meeting for Thomson Township's 2040 comprehensive plan was held Monday night.

More than 30 residents attended the public hearing, with many voicing concerns about proposed changes on the future land use map portion of the comprehensive plan, changes that could bring more business development to their area. The plan initially proposed a change to the land use south of Interstate-35, from single-family residential and agricultural, to interchange business.

While this change would not automatically rezone residents' properties, it left many residents in attendance feeling unheard, "forced out," and like they were losing the integrity and value of their properties.

"There was a lot of small-town appeal that drew us in to Esko and this change would honestly take that away," said Santana Haggy, a newer resident of the area south of Interstate-35 during the public session.

Other residents echoed Haggy's sentiments, with many sharing stories of growing up and raising families in Esko and not wanting to lose the identity of the Esko community.

John Koski, a resident and business owner in the community, stated that Esko already offers plenty of area for commercial business within its designated business park. Koski has had issues with zoning rules and regulations of the township in the past, in relation to his business, and offered to work together with the Thomson Township board of supervisors and other committee members to reach a solution that would benefit the entire community.

After hearing comments from numerous community members and their representatives, the public comment session portion of the meeting was ended. Residents were invited to stay for the steering committee meeting which immediately followed.

The committee immediately addressed the issues surrounding the changes the community members wished to see in the proposed land use map.

Chris Janson, a team leader with MSA Professional Services, spent time explaining the land use map to the community members in attendance. Janson said the land use map is "not static" and was designed with community growth in mind. The future land use map is referred to by the Thomson Township board of supervisors and Planning and Zoning Commission when a property owner comes forward with a request to rezone. Janson suggested that there would be no immediate draw to the area south of the I-35 corridor due to a lack of sewer and water access. He added that many of the things on the comprehensive plan from 20 years ago did not happen.

Jim Gottschald, a member of the steering committee, assured residents in attendance that they never intended to upset property owners and that their input to the comprehensive plan draft was heard.

After plenty of discussion about the potential change and solutions, the committee decided it was best to do what the residents were wanting, and instead require nonconforming land use permits for future property owners that would not fall within the outlines of the land use map.

Other issues

Other issues raised by community members during the public comment session included the potential narrowing of Highway 61 between Scanlon and Esko proposed by Carlton County, road safety, the trails within the community, and the limited access to broadband in the township.

Janson spoke to each of these issues, explaining that the things that were listed in the draft comprehensive plan were largely the suggestions that were made by residents during the initial community input session two years ago.

Janson agreed to clarify the language in the sections which discussed possible changes to trails and to Highway 61, and to add broadband and road safety into the goals section of the comprehensive plan.

Next up? The draft of the 2040 comprehensive plan will be reviewed by the Planning and Zoning commission, which will then move to recommend a final version to the Thomson Township board of supervisors for final approval and adoption.

Some residents in attendance felt that this public input session and meeting was not advertised to the public enough, with some residents even suggesting that it was intentional. All of the meetings regarding the comprehensive plan will continue to be posted on the township's website and will be open to the public.

Find information about meetings and a full copy of the 2040 comprehensive plan on the Thomson 2040 Comprehensive Plan website at https://thomsonesko2040.wordpress.com.