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Sibley County Commissioners will be considering three or four possible changes to its Planning and Zoning Ordinance this summer.

Jeff Majeski, Environmental Services Director, said that several possible zoning changes were discussed at a meeting April 6.

Some of the possible changes include:

• Requiring that an access road with a grade of 10% or less be approved prior to a home being built on the property.

• Changing the requirement of 10% grade or less to an 8% maximum grade and requiring the property owners to meet erosion standards.

• Possibly adopting the state model ordinance for wind energy, which will take into consideration small wind generators for agricultural purposes. Small wind generators are defined as 40kw and smaller and less than 150 feet tall. The state’s model ordinance would allow an over-the-counter permit for small wind generators. The existing county ordinance, modeled from Lincoln county, require a conditional use permit for all wind generators, regardless of the size.

The setback in the model ordinance is 1.1 x height for the road and property line. The county’s existing ordinance requires a 300 foot setback from the residence.

Majeski said that six of the nine counties that Sibley County contacted have adopted the state’s model ordinance for wind generators.

• Changing the zoning ordinance to allow mobile homes with frost piers to be acceptable to qualify for a conditional use permit, rather than requiring an annual renewal of the mobile homes/manufactured homes. Presently the zoning ordinance requires a basement or a slab.

Majeski anticipates a public hearing to consider the zoning changes will take place in July.