Clay County Commission

Dan Haglund

The Clay County Board of Commissioners approved a request for a platted subdivision from Alayna and Aaron Stenerson during a public hearing on Tuesday in Moorhead.
Matt Jacobson, Clay County Planning and Zoning director, presented the request as a 5.44-acre one-lot commercial tract of the 101.7-acre Bloomfield Subdivision located just northeast of Sabin.
Currently, the property is used as agriculture land and has no structures and is zoned as wellhead protection.
“Whenever you’re subdividing land for non-agricultural purposes, we do require a plat per our county code,” Jacobson said.
Jacobson said initially the applicant was planning on leasing this tract for their business a few years before purchasing it, and got a conditional use permit from the Clay County Planning Commission to do so. But now, he said, they’ve made a decision to buy it a bit earlier than anticipated.
There are no access issues, according to Jacobson, and the tract sits along Clay County Road 69.
The development plan by the Stenersons, who were present, includes up to nine commercial storage buildings.
The stipulations set forth by the Planning Commission include that the tract “is in harmony with agricultural and rural character of Clay County.”
The use was previously approved by the Planning Commission and found to be compatible with the goals and objectives of the 2045 Comprehensive and Transportation Plan, which was adopted in 2022.
Previous county comprehensive plans were adopted in 1980 and updated in 2001. The plan reflects the aspirations of the community and changing circumstances facing it. It also provides vision, goals and objectives to guide development of unincorporated county land in a “balanced and responsible manner,” according to the plan’s wording.
Commissioner Kevin Campbell, Dist. 4, moved to approve with a second from Commissioner Paul Krabbenhoft, Dist. 1. The board unanimously voted to approve the request.
Commissioner Jenny Mongeau, Dist. 3, added that with her involvement on the Planning Commission that there was never any negative feedback on this tract development ramping up to the board presentation and approval.
“I think that this really fits a great need for the area,” Mongeau said. “And I appreciate that the landowners have shown flexibility in the proposals working forward.”