MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — With three new members being added to the Mitchell City Council last night, there were relatively few points of disagreement as the new-look group begins to find its identity.

The one issue that drew a split vote was the public hearing on whether to rezone the lot on the corner of Iowa and Elm from high-density residential to highway oriented business district. The request was made by Harris Properties, which already owns the neighboring Wheel In Business Park, which acts as an incubator for start-ups and entrepreneurs to test their ideas for a retail store or other service industry company. The successful tenants will outgrow the space and relocate to a more permanent location.

The Wheel In Business Plaza is directly south of the property in focus, with frontage on Iowa and Havens Avenue. It has eight suites. Harris is proposing adding a second building with six more suites and a garage for storage space on what is currently a cornfield. That property is surrounded by houses on three sides.

The city received 11 letters on the issue from neighbors. Three were in support and eight were against, with traffic being the main concern. Only one neighbor spoke against the idea at the meeting. He said the lot should be either a single-family home or townhomes, which would be keeping in character with the rest of the block.

Dave Harris from Harris Properties spoke next. He referenced the discussion that was had in June during the first reading on the public hearing. “What was pointed out at the last meeting, which was important, is it’s not a residential lot, it’s R4 high-density residential. So, I look at this as a win for the people around.

“Where I could put a 24-unit apartment complex. I’m just asking for six business suites, so traffic could be a whole lot worse than what we’ve got…Our businesses are always clean, the property’s always clean, everything’s kept up. There is no issues that we’ve ever had.”

The Mitchell Planning Commission voted not to recommend the zoning change in May with one in favor, three against, and three members absent. On Monday, the council overruled that on a 5-3 vote.

Voting in favor were Marty Barington, Jason Greenway, Jeff Smith, Shaun Davis, and Kevin McCardle. Going on record against the rezoning were Tim Goldammer, Dan Sabers, and Ken Schlimgen. The vote required a simple majority to pass.

All other motions passed overwhelmingly. More information on other items on Monday’s agenda can be found here.