County Highway Superintendent Opposes Plan For Ag II Development
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Rob Ladson, Kosciusko County Highway superintendent and engineer, voiced strong opposition at the Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission meeting against Sycamore Fields LLC's preliminary plat petition for an agricultural II development on 26.214 acres.
The property is on the corner of CR 450N and Sullivan Road (CR 650E) in Tippecanoe Township.
According to Dan Richard, Area Plan Commission director, the proposed plat is for a nine-lot agricultural II subdivision. It was rezoned agricultural II in the last few months, he said, and was part of a larger piece of property auctioned off recently.
Representing the petitioners, attorney Jack Birch said they are trying to develop the property to meet all the ag II specifications.
The roads, he said, will all have lot fronts onto a county road to make use of the natural topography of the land and because the drainage of the property will not be greatly affected by doing so.
For the size of the proposed subdivision, Birch said, it wouldn't make sense to have an interior road. If they did make an interior road, he said, they would have to add more and bigger lots so the developer could recoup some of the money. The drainage also would require more work, which would also cost the developer more money.
"We're not creating a problem that can't be addressed," Birch said of the development.
"I'm strongly opposed to this type of development," Ladson said. "It's the worst type of design we can have for the county."
He said he only received the drainage plans Monday so he hasn't had time to review them, so he would like the board to continue the petition so he could review those.
Birch, during his presentation, repeated that the subdivision would be only nine lots.
Ladson replied that just because it's only nine lots, it should not allow for bad planning. He said, "In my opinion, this is not a plan for the future growth of this county."
In rebuttal, Birch said the area is residential. "The county has a duty to recognize what the area is and handle it appropriately," he said. He said the county has no reason to put "all that cost onto the developer and homeowner." Too many requirements, he said, will force developers and homeowners to move out of the county.
The plan commission, by a vote of 8 to 0, continued the petition to their July 11 meeting.
In other business, the commission:
• Continued to July 11 a petition by Bruce Cavell for a preliminary plat approval for a residential development. The property is on the south side of CR 500N and 620 feet east of Ind. 13 in Tippecanoe Township.
• Approved a preliminary plat petition by Larry Huffer for a residential development on a 16-acre tract of ground. The property is on the south side of CR 400N and 470 feet east of CR 700E in Tippecanoe Township.
• Continued a petition by Richard and Lois Utter to rezone ground from an agricultural to a residential district. The property is on the south side of Ind. 25 in Seward Township.
A remonstrator, Jeff Johnson, said he represented several other property owners and they did not want a housing project in an agricultural area.
"We really don't see the necessity for this," Johnson said. It won't benefit area farmers by having a housing project in the area, he said, and the land in the area is good land for agriculture. "This was all just a total shock to everyone in the neighborhood."
Kevin McSherry, plan commission member, said he owns property next to the proposed site and across from the site. He said when the rezoning comes back before the board Aug. 1, he will have to remove himself from the board to remonstrate against the petition.
• Approved Harlan Beer's petition to rezone ground from a commercial to a residential district. The property is on the east side of Indiana Avenue and zero feet west of Harrison Street in Syracuse.
The rezoning will go before the Syracuse Town Council June 19 at 7 p.m.
• Approved Kevin Dwyer's petition for preliminary plat approval for a residential development on a 1-acre tract. The property is on CR 60W, 380 feet north of CR 1250N in Van Buren Township.
The following final plats were approved:
• Atwood West, petition by Ken and Brenda Collins for an industrial II subdivision on 22 acres. The property is on the south side of U.S. 30 and 730 feet east of CR 800W in Etna Township.
• Saw Grass Estates, Carey Excavation Inc.'s petition for a residential development on 34.5 acres. The property is on the north side of CR 500N and east of EMS T5 Lane in Tippecanoe Township.
Members of the plan commission are president Vic Virgil, Richard Kemper, Norm Lovell, Charlie Haffner, Barbara Carwile, Don Ahrms, Hal Strong, Kelly Easterday and Kevin McSherry. They meet at 1 p.m. in the county courthouse, Warsaw, on the first Wednesday of every month. [[In-content Ad]]
Rob Ladson, Kosciusko County Highway superintendent and engineer, voiced strong opposition at the Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission meeting against Sycamore Fields LLC's preliminary plat petition for an agricultural II development on 26.214 acres.
The property is on the corner of CR 450N and Sullivan Road (CR 650E) in Tippecanoe Township.
According to Dan Richard, Area Plan Commission director, the proposed plat is for a nine-lot agricultural II subdivision. It was rezoned agricultural II in the last few months, he said, and was part of a larger piece of property auctioned off recently.
Representing the petitioners, attorney Jack Birch said they are trying to develop the property to meet all the ag II specifications.
The roads, he said, will all have lot fronts onto a county road to make use of the natural topography of the land and because the drainage of the property will not be greatly affected by doing so.
For the size of the proposed subdivision, Birch said, it wouldn't make sense to have an interior road. If they did make an interior road, he said, they would have to add more and bigger lots so the developer could recoup some of the money. The drainage also would require more work, which would also cost the developer more money.
"We're not creating a problem that can't be addressed," Birch said of the development.
"I'm strongly opposed to this type of development," Ladson said. "It's the worst type of design we can have for the county."
He said he only received the drainage plans Monday so he hasn't had time to review them, so he would like the board to continue the petition so he could review those.
Birch, during his presentation, repeated that the subdivision would be only nine lots.
Ladson replied that just because it's only nine lots, it should not allow for bad planning. He said, "In my opinion, this is not a plan for the future growth of this county."
In rebuttal, Birch said the area is residential. "The county has a duty to recognize what the area is and handle it appropriately," he said. He said the county has no reason to put "all that cost onto the developer and homeowner." Too many requirements, he said, will force developers and homeowners to move out of the county.
The plan commission, by a vote of 8 to 0, continued the petition to their July 11 meeting.
In other business, the commission:
• Continued to July 11 a petition by Bruce Cavell for a preliminary plat approval for a residential development. The property is on the south side of CR 500N and 620 feet east of Ind. 13 in Tippecanoe Township.
• Approved a preliminary plat petition by Larry Huffer for a residential development on a 16-acre tract of ground. The property is on the south side of CR 400N and 470 feet east of CR 700E in Tippecanoe Township.
• Continued a petition by Richard and Lois Utter to rezone ground from an agricultural to a residential district. The property is on the south side of Ind. 25 in Seward Township.
A remonstrator, Jeff Johnson, said he represented several other property owners and they did not want a housing project in an agricultural area.
"We really don't see the necessity for this," Johnson said. It won't benefit area farmers by having a housing project in the area, he said, and the land in the area is good land for agriculture. "This was all just a total shock to everyone in the neighborhood."
Kevin McSherry, plan commission member, said he owns property next to the proposed site and across from the site. He said when the rezoning comes back before the board Aug. 1, he will have to remove himself from the board to remonstrate against the petition.
• Approved Harlan Beer's petition to rezone ground from a commercial to a residential district. The property is on the east side of Indiana Avenue and zero feet west of Harrison Street in Syracuse.
The rezoning will go before the Syracuse Town Council June 19 at 7 p.m.
• Approved Kevin Dwyer's petition for preliminary plat approval for a residential development on a 1-acre tract. The property is on CR 60W, 380 feet north of CR 1250N in Van Buren Township.
The following final plats were approved:
• Atwood West, petition by Ken and Brenda Collins for an industrial II subdivision on 22 acres. The property is on the south side of U.S. 30 and 730 feet east of CR 800W in Etna Township.
• Saw Grass Estates, Carey Excavation Inc.'s petition for a residential development on 34.5 acres. The property is on the north side of CR 500N and east of EMS T5 Lane in Tippecanoe Township.
Members of the plan commission are president Vic Virgil, Richard Kemper, Norm Lovell, Charlie Haffner, Barbara Carwile, Don Ahrms, Hal Strong, Kelly Easterday and Kevin McSherry. They meet at 1 p.m. in the county courthouse, Warsaw, on the first Wednesday of every month. [[In-content Ad]]