KDI Gets Info On Lake Development
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
County records show 79 percent of the annual property tax total comes from four townships: Plain, Tippecanoe, Turkey Creek and Wayne.
Of those properties, 37 percent are situated along a lake.
"Clearly, one-third of the county's income comes from lakefront property," said David Tyler, a Tippecanoe Lake resident. "The lakes areas are fundamentally important to the economy of the county."
Tyler presented the information to Kosciusko County Development Inc. board members Wednesday to illustrate why he was pursuing establishment of a lake residential district.
Tyler said the facts regarding the value of lakefront property is "new," in that no one has ever added up the figures before.
"It's one reason why our proposal is important. Without the lakes our county would be very different," he said.
Tyler serves on the Indiana Lakes Management Work Group. He also belongs to the Tippecanoe Environmental Lake & Watershed Foundation and the Tippecanoe Property Owners Association. Former owner of Tyler Machinery, he is retired.
Because of his involvement with lake issues at the state and local level, he saw a need to create a lakes residential district in the county, limiting development close to shorelines.
He brought this request before the county's Area Plan Commission and a plan commission committee has studied the concept for the last several months.
In addition to the lakes residential district, an ordinance amendment to limit "funneling" will be heard by the plan commission and recommended to the commissioners.
Tyler described funneling as any time "back lot" residents have easement to the lake. Technically, funneling is described as the offer of riparian rights to non-riparians - or access to lake front property to non-lakefront property owners.
Known as the Back Lot Development and Erosion Control Amendment, it requires 75 feet of shoreline for common use for the first residential unit; 50 feet for the second unit and 20 feet for each additional residential unit. A four-house subdivison would require 165 feet of shoreline for common use.
Specific erosion control policies also are part of the amendment.
Tyler said the lakes may be overused, although the "carrying capacity" of a public lake hasn't been established.
"The Department of Natural resources is caught between the responsibility to make the lakes available to the public and the responsibility to protect and preserve the lakes," Tyler said.
The amendments will be heard at the April 5 plan commission meeting.
The board also:
• Heard from Wayne Luchenbill about KDI's business retention and expansion committee. Members plan to interview seven KDI-member companies about how KDI can help them.
• Heard from County Commissioner Ron Truex that the Warsaw wastewater facility will treat sewage from Leesburg. The county is paying for installation of a larger pipe along Ind. 15.
The next KDI meeting is April 26 at noon in the Kosciusko - Warsaw Chamber of Commerce. [[In-content Ad]]
County records show 79 percent of the annual property tax total comes from four townships: Plain, Tippecanoe, Turkey Creek and Wayne.
Of those properties, 37 percent are situated along a lake.
"Clearly, one-third of the county's income comes from lakefront property," said David Tyler, a Tippecanoe Lake resident. "The lakes areas are fundamentally important to the economy of the county."
Tyler presented the information to Kosciusko County Development Inc. board members Wednesday to illustrate why he was pursuing establishment of a lake residential district.
Tyler said the facts regarding the value of lakefront property is "new," in that no one has ever added up the figures before.
"It's one reason why our proposal is important. Without the lakes our county would be very different," he said.
Tyler serves on the Indiana Lakes Management Work Group. He also belongs to the Tippecanoe Environmental Lake & Watershed Foundation and the Tippecanoe Property Owners Association. Former owner of Tyler Machinery, he is retired.
Because of his involvement with lake issues at the state and local level, he saw a need to create a lakes residential district in the county, limiting development close to shorelines.
He brought this request before the county's Area Plan Commission and a plan commission committee has studied the concept for the last several months.
In addition to the lakes residential district, an ordinance amendment to limit "funneling" will be heard by the plan commission and recommended to the commissioners.
Tyler described funneling as any time "back lot" residents have easement to the lake. Technically, funneling is described as the offer of riparian rights to non-riparians - or access to lake front property to non-lakefront property owners.
Known as the Back Lot Development and Erosion Control Amendment, it requires 75 feet of shoreline for common use for the first residential unit; 50 feet for the second unit and 20 feet for each additional residential unit. A four-house subdivison would require 165 feet of shoreline for common use.
Specific erosion control policies also are part of the amendment.
Tyler said the lakes may be overused, although the "carrying capacity" of a public lake hasn't been established.
"The Department of Natural resources is caught between the responsibility to make the lakes available to the public and the responsibility to protect and preserve the lakes," Tyler said.
The amendments will be heard at the April 5 plan commission meeting.
The board also:
• Heard from Wayne Luchenbill about KDI's business retention and expansion committee. Members plan to interview seven KDI-member companies about how KDI can help them.
• Heard from County Commissioner Ron Truex that the Warsaw wastewater facility will treat sewage from Leesburg. The county is paying for installation of a larger pipe along Ind. 15.
The next KDI meeting is April 26 at noon in the Kosciusko - Warsaw Chamber of Commerce. [[In-content Ad]]