The Newport Planning Commission approved an application for a minor subdivision at 617 Fifth Street.
Gary Imholte, the property owner, spoke at the commission's Nov. 10 meeting and outlined his plans for subdividing his property to build a handicap-accessible home for his family.
The property is located within a R-1 single-family residential district in the city and already includes two lots. Imholte asked the commission to change the direction of the parcel's division to allow for the construction of a new home within the city's setback requirements.
Because the dimensions of the property were incorrectly stated at the time the land was sold to Imholte, the commission saw a hardship that justified this request. A few commission members, however, expressed their concern at allowing substandard lot sizes.
"I don't want to go any smaller than our new lot sizes," Commission Member Katy McElwee-Stevens said.
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City Administrator Larry Bodahl added there are many preexisting substandard lots throughout the community.
