In the third lengthy discussion of the two and a half hour Hastings City Council Meeting, the deliberation of zoning continued on the property located at 313 Ramsey Street. The current owner, Harold Hoban, listed the two story property, originally built in the last years of the Civil War, as a commercial opportunity, attracting a Sommerset, Wisconsin couple seeking a Hastings location for a 2 chair hair salon. Hoban approached the council at the end of the summer wishing to have the property re-zoned from residential to mixed use residential. At times in the property’s past, it served the dual purpose of living and working space, but the potential buyers do not plan to live above their business. Jenni Deal and her business partner Meighan, conducted business at 219 Sibley Street for several years, but wish to move Adele Hair Salon to the Ramsey location with the purchase. The decision at first recieved support from the planning commitee, then some neighbor dissent, caused a reviewal then denial for the rezoning request. Council member Tony Alongi, voiced his continued concern that once the property received the designation including commercial use, the creep of the downtown business district would continue to involve more issues of rezoning wishes, eroding the residential boundaries further. The council’s deliberation included more comments from Janette Yandrasits, whose home is also a historic structure located on the same block as the proposed salon. Mayor Hicks, joined councilmembers Brauck, Balsanek and Vaughan in voicing support of the proposed rezoning, citing language of the Heart of Hastings comprehensive plan for 2030 that uses 4th street as the perimeter of mixed residential and commercial use. Several commercial properties are located between 2nd and 4th Street, but Alongi and Elling Schultz countered that each ward contains properties that may someday be called into the same debate if a line isn’t drawn now on where business districts should end. After nearly an hour of the balanced give and take, the roll was called with Alongi and Elling Schultz the minority in a 5-2 decision and 313 Ramsey receiving it’s RMU approval.
