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City still debating re-zoning Rural Fire Department firehouse
Once told by City to be out by April 15, RFD firehouse could be saved by petitions
rfd truck
Monroe Rural Fire Engine 2 sits outside its current firehouse located at 840 W. 8th Street on Monroe’s far west side. The Rural Fire Department had been notified in January to vacate its new firehouse location by April 15, however, the Monroe Common Council may change the zoning of the building to allow continued use. At the City Plan Commission meeting March 10, members unanimously voted in favor of advancing the issue to the Common Council meeting March 15. - photo by Shannon Rabotski

MONROE — Years-long back and forth between the City of Monroe and Towns of Clarno and Monroe has yet to come to an end.

Monroe’s City Plan Commission met March 10 and voted in favor of two petitions brought forward by the towns: a request for zoning change at the Rural Fire District’s firehouse at 840 W. 8th Street in Monroe and a zoning ordinance text amendment application to allow indoor institutional land uses in the Suburban Mixed Use (SMU) zoning district.

Currently, the RFD’s building is zoned as a Suburban Mixed Use (SMU) property, which, per the city’s code, does not allow indoor institutional as a conditional use.

The towns are requesting that the property be changed to Neighborhood Mixed Use instead, which would allow indoor institutional as a conditional use as long as the towns were granted permission for such.

The text amendment would allow all SMU properties in the town to apply for indoor institutional as a conditional use, while the change of zoning request affects only the property mentioned.

“If you look in our zoning code under any district, whether it’s SMU or NMU or residential, there are certain uses that you can have as a right and there are certain uses that you can do as a conditional right,” City Attorney Dan Bartholf said.

If the change of zoning request is approved by the full council, the plan commission will determine if they will grant the RFD indoor institutional conditional use.

Previously, the towns had requested that the property be changed to Institutional, but the vote failed in the full council Jan. 4 after being passed unanimously by the plan commission.

RFD members received a letter from the City Jan. 18 notifying them that the current zoning of the building does not allow for operation as a fire station. 

The notice explained that the city’s change of zoning denial for the RFD firehouse meant that the conditional use permit application submitted by the RFD could not be considered.

Though City Code allows for up to $1,000 in fines per offense per day, the City informed the RFD in January that they will have until April 15 to find a new location.

Now, the Common Council will hear the Plan Commission’s recommendation at the March 15 meeting before the matter is discussed at an April 5 public hearing.

Following the hearing, the Council will vote on both petitions.