Jasper Plan Commission recommends rezoning Mill Street farmland to industrial with restrictions

The Jasper Plan Commission voted to send a favorable recommendation to the city council for rezoning the Giesler Farm tract from R2 residential to I2 heavy industrial, with conditions limiting the property to warehouse use only and preserving existing tree lines along the western and northern boundaries.

The roughly 38-acre property, located southwest of 36th Street along Mill Street, was the subject of a rezone petition brought by Brad Eckerle of Brosmer Land Surveying and Engineering on behalf of petitioner and property owner Jeff Giesler, along with Starline Properties LLC as the prospective buyer.

Eckerle explained that the proposed I2 designation was chosen because it is contiguous with the existing I2 zoning at Buffalo Flat Industrial Park to the south, making it a natural extension rather than an isolated zone change.

Eckerle told the commission that no finalized development plan had been submitted to the city and that the rezone was tied to a purchase agreement contingent on the zoning change being approved. He said the timeline for any actual development was uncertain, potentially ranging from two to 10 years.

He did offer up several renderings showing potential warehousing configurations as well as new housing. He explained that any industrial use would use Lottes Drive to the south as an access point, with no access points proposed on Mill Street or 36th Street.

The commission heard from two adjacent property owners who raised concerns about the scope of the I2 designation.

Drew Eckert, who owns approximately 18 acres of planned unit development (PUD) zoned land directly to the west of the Giesler tract, formally filed a remonstrance against the proposed rezoning. He said his primary concern was the breadth of permitted uses under an I2 designation, which he felt could have a devaluing effect on his property.

“I2 allows for use objectionable to neighboring properties, and I just can’t distance from that,” Eckert said. He specifically flagged data centers, battery storage facilities, and solar installations as uses he would not want to see on the adjacent land.

“In my search for lawyers, when I said 38.2 acres, they said data center. That was a thing to be aware of,” he said.

He also didn’t want the existing tree line to be affected by any development.

Eckert said he had attempted to consult with attorneys before the meeting but had been unable to secure legal representation in time. He suggested that use development covenants negotiated between the parties could help protect his property’s value while still allowing the rezone to proceed.

Ken Gercken, who lives across from the property on Mill Street, said he was not strongly opposed to industrial use in principle but raised concerns about stormwater runoff into Lottes Lake. He said a finger of the lake near his property had already accumulated 12 to 15 feet of silt from agricultural runoff off the Giesler tract.

With the industrial use and the additional paving, Gercken said he was concerned with where that water would flow.

City Engineer Chad Hurm noted that any future development on the site would be required to comply with the City of Jasper’s stormwater ordinance, including maintaining pre-development runoff rates for two-year, 10-year, and 100-year storm events.

The commission debated at length whether an I2 designation was appropriate given the residential zoning on the northern and western sides of the tract, with commission member Dana Schnarr raising the possibility of recommending an I1 light industrial designation instead as a more neighborhood-friendly option.

“If you’re adjacent to several residential areas, it makes more sense to me to be I1 versus I2,” Schnarr said. “That is a little bit more neighborhood friendly.”

Eckerle acknowledged the concern but said sticking with I2 kept the purchase agreement intact, since introducing an I1 zone would require the petitioner to withdraw the current application and refile, restarting the advertising process.

Giesler told the commission that the plans he has seen for the property are “the most user-friendly of the area. I mean, area-friendly to the neighbors, to the lake next door.”

“Their business is warehousing,” he added. “It looks like it’s going to be a warehouse.”

City Attorney Renee Kabrick told the commission they had the authority to place conditions on a rezone recommendation, including restricting certain permitted uses.

Commission President Paul Lorey noted that the 100-foot buffer required between dissimilar zoning districts was already largely satisfied by the existing wooded tree line along the western property boundary, which he said measured at or beyond 100 feet along nearly its entire length based on his review of GIS data.

“Common sense would tell you you don’t cut down a tree to plant a tree,” Lorey said, referring to the existing natural screening between the industrial tract and the adjacent PUD land that could remain in place.

After extended discussion, the commission settled on a motion made by Schnarr to grant a favorable recommendation for the R2 to I2 rezone with the warehouse-only, maintaining the existing tree-line and access conditions outlined above. The motion was seconded and passed with all members in favor and none opposed.

The recommendation now moves to the Jasper Common Council for consideration.

In other business, the commission unanimously approved the secondary plat for Northridge Estates Phase 2, following a successful TAC review process. Commission President Lorey noted that several homes in the first phase were already occupied or under construction, with no complaints received from neighboring residents.

Planning staff also reminded commission members that the draft 2026 Comprehensive Plan was available for review on the city’s website, with comments due by the 10th of the month. A second finalized draft is scheduled to be presented to the city council at its 19 August 2026 meeting.