Government Action Tour Sets Development Priorities
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Roads, drainage and the proper mix of types of development in a growing county were the key topics explained Friday to 23 elected officials of Kosciusko County.
City and town council members were given the firsthand look at the county government in action during the first "Government in Action" tour sponsored by the Kosciusko County Commissioners and Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins.
"One of the biggest challenges we face is to allow for residential, commercial and industrial development, while still accommodating the agricultural uses we have throughout the county," County Planning Director Dan Richard told the tour participants.
One of the new focuses in achieving that balance, Richard said, is requiring more planned residential communities and a move away from the piecemeal development of individual residential lots using the Agriculture 2 zoning classification.
Ag 2 zoning allows for any agriculturally zoned tract to be subdivided into three smaller lots. Any additional residential development is required to be done in a 20-acre block at a minimum, Richard said.
"Ag 2 zoning is wasting our good agricultural land by taking it in small bits and pieces. What we want to do is to encourage developed subdivisions," he said. "But some people don't want to go into congested subdivisions."
County Highway Superintendent Robert Ladson said from his department's perspective, planned residential developments aid in having an orderly flow of traffic on the 1,200 miles of county roads.
"We need to ensure that additional residential development doesn't cause an excessive number of driveways entering onto county roads," Ladson said.
Part of that plan is to require sufficient access into the new subdivisions.
"All these single street developments with cul-de-sacs aren't good for the county, particularly when it comes to snow removal," Ladson said. "We also need to require developers to install acceleration and deceleration lanes to improve the safety when residents enter and leave these new subdivisions."
Another major issue the county must address in new developments is drainage. According to Richard, the county is blessed by having abundant water, in the forms of lakes and ponds, but that also can cause problems for the county in terms of handling drainage of storm water.
Ladson said one way the county is addressing the drainage issue is by requiring developers to submit detailed drainage plans when they seek plan commission approval of proposed subdivisions.
"We are requiring developers to put in retention and detention ponds into their developments so we can better control the flow of storm water into the county's legal drains.
"What we do is look at an existing undeveloped site, determine what the drainage flow rates are into the county's drains, then ensure the development doesn't increase that flow," Ladson said.
Another key issue the county needs to address is improving the existing 1,150 miles of legal drains already existing in the county, according to Kosciusko County Surveyor Dick Kemper. That often requires a close working relationship between the county drainage and highway departments.
One such project exemplifying that close working relationship is the recently completed road and culvert project near county roads 800S and 700E.
"This project is a perfect example of how the county drainage and highway departments work together," Kemper said. "By working together, we are able to improve the drainage and county road, and save money by using the same contractor."
Another key issue the planning department is attempting to address is encouraging more industrial and commercial development. That will require the county and town officials to forge a working relationship to ensure acceptable industrial development.
"In order to promote industrial growth, we need to have all the infrastructure in place to accommodate that growth," Richard said.
Cooperation between Warsaw and the county for the provision of sewers in the industrial park was cited as a prime example of that cooperation between two levels of government - cooperation that will need to continue as the county enters the next century, Richard said. [[In-content Ad]]
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Roads, drainage and the proper mix of types of development in a growing county were the key topics explained Friday to 23 elected officials of Kosciusko County.
City and town council members were given the firsthand look at the county government in action during the first "Government in Action" tour sponsored by the Kosciusko County Commissioners and Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins.
"One of the biggest challenges we face is to allow for residential, commercial and industrial development, while still accommodating the agricultural uses we have throughout the county," County Planning Director Dan Richard told the tour participants.
One of the new focuses in achieving that balance, Richard said, is requiring more planned residential communities and a move away from the piecemeal development of individual residential lots using the Agriculture 2 zoning classification.
Ag 2 zoning allows for any agriculturally zoned tract to be subdivided into three smaller lots. Any additional residential development is required to be done in a 20-acre block at a minimum, Richard said.
"Ag 2 zoning is wasting our good agricultural land by taking it in small bits and pieces. What we want to do is to encourage developed subdivisions," he said. "But some people don't want to go into congested subdivisions."
County Highway Superintendent Robert Ladson said from his department's perspective, planned residential developments aid in having an orderly flow of traffic on the 1,200 miles of county roads.
"We need to ensure that additional residential development doesn't cause an excessive number of driveways entering onto county roads," Ladson said.
Part of that plan is to require sufficient access into the new subdivisions.
"All these single street developments with cul-de-sacs aren't good for the county, particularly when it comes to snow removal," Ladson said. "We also need to require developers to install acceleration and deceleration lanes to improve the safety when residents enter and leave these new subdivisions."
Another major issue the county must address in new developments is drainage. According to Richard, the county is blessed by having abundant water, in the forms of lakes and ponds, but that also can cause problems for the county in terms of handling drainage of storm water.
Ladson said one way the county is addressing the drainage issue is by requiring developers to submit detailed drainage plans when they seek plan commission approval of proposed subdivisions.
"We are requiring developers to put in retention and detention ponds into their developments so we can better control the flow of storm water into the county's legal drains.
"What we do is look at an existing undeveloped site, determine what the drainage flow rates are into the county's drains, then ensure the development doesn't increase that flow," Ladson said.
Another key issue the county needs to address is improving the existing 1,150 miles of legal drains already existing in the county, according to Kosciusko County Surveyor Dick Kemper. That often requires a close working relationship between the county drainage and highway departments.
One such project exemplifying that close working relationship is the recently completed road and culvert project near county roads 800S and 700E.
"This project is a perfect example of how the county drainage and highway departments work together," Kemper said. "By working together, we are able to improve the drainage and county road, and save money by using the same contractor."
Another key issue the planning department is attempting to address is encouraging more industrial and commercial development. That will require the county and town officials to forge a working relationship to ensure acceptable industrial development.
"In order to promote industrial growth, we need to have all the infrastructure in place to accommodate that growth," Richard said.
Cooperation between Warsaw and the county for the provision of sewers in the industrial park was cited as a prime example of that cooperation between two levels of government - cooperation that will need to continue as the county enters the next century, Richard said. [[In-content Ad]]