Greenwalt Development's request for a planned unit development district to build an assisted living facility at 1900 Ranch Road, was approved in general terms by Warsaw City Council Monday.

The issue will be sent back to the Warsaw Plan Commission for secondary review.

This issue came before the Warsaw Plan Commission Nov. 6 when Greenwalt Development director of operations Philip Heer and project manager Steven Smith presented plans to build an assisted living facility in what is currently an R-1 residential zoning district. The plan commission approved the plan in general terms and sent it to the city council.

Heer and Smith presented their plans for the assisted living facility to the council. Several concerns that city planner Jeff Noffsinger had at the plan commission meeting have been addressed. There is a landscaping plan now and issues regarding the private street and the driveway cut into the road have been addressed.

Greenwalt was assured that water is adequate for the facility and water pressure will not be a problem. Indiana-American Water Co. confirmed that.

Noffsinger presented three options to the council: The council could approve the plan and district in detailed terms, a secondary review could be conducted or the council could send the issue back to the plan commission and allow it to make the secondary review.

Noffsinger said the first option is not really an option because there are still details to be ironed out. His recommendation would be to approve it in general terms and send it back to the plan commission.

"I would feel more comfortable if the secondary review was made back on the plan commission level where it originated," said Mayor Ernie Wiggins.

Councilman Joe Thallemer, who also is on the plan commission, said the plan commission wants to look at details. He too recommended approving the general plan.

Councilman Jeff Grose voted against sending the plan to the common council in the first place and said he believed it wasn't ready for the council. He believed it should go back to the plan commission, too.

"I would certainly recommend you go ahead to approve it in general terms," said Thallemer.

The council agreed unanimously to send the general plan to the plan commission. The next plan commission meeting is Dec. 11 at 7 p.m.

In other business:

• The council had a public hearing for the Miller Silver, LLC, annexation, north of Warsaw. Miller Silver, LLC, wishes to be annexed into Warsaw to have access to the sanitary sewer. There was no public discussion and the ordinance can be adopted Jan. 15 at the council's regularly scheduled meeting, said Noffsinger. No action was taken.

• The council approved a request by Charles and Cheryll Bassford of 1440 Brookview Ave. to waive a sewer tap fee.

• The council approved two amendments to the salary ordinance. A probationary parking control officer was added to the ordinance with a biweekly salary of $865.60. The Warsaw Fire Department came across an oversight in its 2001 budget. The salaries for an inspector and a training officer are $1,438.43 but should be $1,455.46 each. The Fire Department has money budgeted for this increase.

Members of the Warsaw City Council are: president Jerry Patterson, Trish Brown, Jeff Grose, Charlie Smith, Joe Thallemer, Bill Rhoades and George Clemens. [[In-content Ad]]