City Plan Commission OKs Three Requests

July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.


Warsaw Plan Commission Monday night approved sending City Council a favorable recommendation to rezone 3.15 acres from Residential 2 to Commercial 5.
The property is at the southeast corner of the Meijer Drive and U.S. 30 intersection.
City Planner Jeremy Skinner said a few years ago the Commission rezoned the Meijer property to C5, which allows more retail establishments, and ended with the development of the Meijer property. The only parcel not zoned commercial there was one of two residential parcels, which was the property before the Commission last night.
“In general, the creek provides a pretty good break line between the residential and commercial property” out there, Skinner indicated. The commercial property is to the west of the creek.
“I don’t see any reason not to approve this rezoning. The new comprehensive plan shows this as being regional commercial to match the Meijer development, basically because of its proximity and where it’s at. Obviously, it makes sense. At some point in time it would be zoned commercial and used in a commercial fashion,” Skinner stated.
Attorney Richard Helm spoke for the petitioner, Jennifer Kauffman, owner of Kauffman Developments LLC. He said he was petitioning the property to be C5 to be consistent with the Meijer property at the suggestion of the Planning Department.
“Currently, there is a residential structure on the property. I am certain that you can expect at some future date – Jennifer seldom gets in a hurry, she thinks everything through – but at some future date I assume you’ll see a developmental plan brought in and a permit application going in to construct probably an expansion of the building because of its size and potentially move her business there. Right now she’s ready and crowded so I don’t know what the time table’s going to be, but the primary purpose of the property is to do what’s allowed in a C5 district,” Helm explained.
No one spoke in opposition to the rezoning. Dan Robinson, whose mother’s residence is to the east of the Kauffman property, said she was in favor of the rezoning.
The board unanimously voted to recommend the city council approve the rezoning.
The first petition brought before the Plan Commission Monday was for a preliminary and final plat for three lots at 212, 214 and 216 N. McKinley St.
Skinner said the applicant, Petty Revocable Living Trust, was requesting to split the three-unit condos into three lots.  The three-unit development would have shared walls but each owner would own their condo outright and there would be no condo association.
All the infrastructure is already existing, so Skinner said there was no reason they couldn’t approve both the preliminary and final plat last night.
Helm, also representing the petitioner in this case, said the original intent was to add condos in the future but the market for condos tanked. Now one condo owner has moved to Pennsylvania, and another spends time in Central America but uses the condo as his base. Banks look at a three-unit condo with disfavor so it’s difficult to get financing for any future buyer, but are more favorable if the condos become townhouses.
After further discussion, the Commission approved the preliminary and final plat.
The second petition before the Commission was approved and was for the final plat of a preliminary plat the board reviewed in 2014.
Mitchell Reserve – now renamed Belle Augusta – is along the east side of CR 225E, north of Pontiac Drive.
“You are reviewing section one of Belle Augusta, I believe you are looking at 23 lots. The lots meet the (Residential 1) zoning district,” Skinner said, adding he saw no reason not to approve it.
The project engineer was at the meeting, but there was no opposition to the petition.[[In-content Ad]]

Warsaw Plan Commission Monday night approved sending City Council a favorable recommendation to rezone 3.15 acres from Residential 2 to Commercial 5.
The property is at the southeast corner of the Meijer Drive and U.S. 30 intersection.
City Planner Jeremy Skinner said a few years ago the Commission rezoned the Meijer property to C5, which allows more retail establishments, and ended with the development of the Meijer property. The only parcel not zoned commercial there was one of two residential parcels, which was the property before the Commission last night.
“In general, the creek provides a pretty good break line between the residential and commercial property” out there, Skinner indicated. The commercial property is to the west of the creek.
“I don’t see any reason not to approve this rezoning. The new comprehensive plan shows this as being regional commercial to match the Meijer development, basically because of its proximity and where it’s at. Obviously, it makes sense. At some point in time it would be zoned commercial and used in a commercial fashion,” Skinner stated.
Attorney Richard Helm spoke for the petitioner, Jennifer Kauffman, owner of Kauffman Developments LLC. He said he was petitioning the property to be C5 to be consistent with the Meijer property at the suggestion of the Planning Department.
“Currently, there is a residential structure on the property. I am certain that you can expect at some future date – Jennifer seldom gets in a hurry, she thinks everything through – but at some future date I assume you’ll see a developmental plan brought in and a permit application going in to construct probably an expansion of the building because of its size and potentially move her business there. Right now she’s ready and crowded so I don’t know what the time table’s going to be, but the primary purpose of the property is to do what’s allowed in a C5 district,” Helm explained.
No one spoke in opposition to the rezoning. Dan Robinson, whose mother’s residence is to the east of the Kauffman property, said she was in favor of the rezoning.
The board unanimously voted to recommend the city council approve the rezoning.
The first petition brought before the Plan Commission Monday was for a preliminary and final plat for three lots at 212, 214 and 216 N. McKinley St.
Skinner said the applicant, Petty Revocable Living Trust, was requesting to split the three-unit condos into three lots.  The three-unit development would have shared walls but each owner would own their condo outright and there would be no condo association.
All the infrastructure is already existing, so Skinner said there was no reason they couldn’t approve both the preliminary and final plat last night.
Helm, also representing the petitioner in this case, said the original intent was to add condos in the future but the market for condos tanked. Now one condo owner has moved to Pennsylvania, and another spends time in Central America but uses the condo as his base. Banks look at a three-unit condo with disfavor so it’s difficult to get financing for any future buyer, but are more favorable if the condos become townhouses.
After further discussion, the Commission approved the preliminary and final plat.
The second petition before the Commission was approved and was for the final plat of a preliminary plat the board reviewed in 2014.
Mitchell Reserve – now renamed Belle Augusta – is along the east side of CR 225E, north of Pontiac Drive.
“You are reviewing section one of Belle Augusta, I believe you are looking at 23 lots. The lots meet the (Residential 1) zoning district,” Skinner said, adding he saw no reason not to approve it.
The project engineer was at the meeting, but there was no opposition to the petition.[[In-content Ad]]
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