Plan Commission OKs Changes for Little Crow Housing Plan
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Common Wealth Development, of Madison, Wis., is the developer, according to City Planner Jeremy Skinner.
Tuesday night, the Warsaw Plan Commission approved recommending changes to the city’s comprehensive plan to the city council to help the developer in securing the grant as well as future affordable housing grant applicants.
In March 2012, Little Crow Foods then-President Denny Fuller confirmed the company was sold to Gilster-Mary Lee in Chester, Ill. Little Crow Foods was established in 1903 and made such products as CoCo Wheats and Miracle Maize. On Dec. 10, 2012, the Kosciusko County Community Foundation accepted the gift of the Little Crows Foods property from the Fuller family.
Skinner told the Plan Commission last night, “As is typical with any type of grant that you apply for, you have certain rules and regulations, things they like to see. It gives you points and awards points toward your application and makes you higher ranking and puts you in a better position to win the grant. As we continue to work with a developer out of Wisconsin on the Little Crow building, the grant that they’re applying for wanted some language in there that makes it more appealing toward the grant application. So, that’s basically what we’re presenting tonight: the language change that will make it more appealing for that grant.”
He said they weren’t changing any “philosophical” parts of the comprehensive plan, but is more language based to fit the grant application.
Rick Keeven, commission member, said he wasn’t aware that anyone was interested in the building.
“They have a contract with this developer out of Wisconsin,” Skinner said. “They are in the grant application now. I believe it’s due Nov. 2 and I think it will be awarded sometime in December.”
Keeven asked what was the purpose of the grant.
“It’ll be housing. Affordable or market-rate housing, whatever you want to call it. Obviously, we’re very excited about the possibility of that happening, but they have to get the grant to make it happen,” Skinner said.
If the developer doesn’t get the grant this time, Skinner said he doesn’t know if they will apply for it again. The grants are awarded twice a year.
“We’re helping them out, making some amendments that will give them some extra points on the grant,” Skinner said.
Assistant City Planner Tim Dombrosky went through the comprehensive plan and made some modifications to it that the planning department was comfortable in making to give the developer some points on the grant but not change the “end goal” of the plan.
Dombrosky said, “All we’re doing here is adding in specific language to promote affordable housing development in the Market Street neighborhood.”
He said the IHCDA looks for affordable housing language in comprehensive plans. Warsaw didn’t have that in the Market Street part of the comprehensive plan specifically.
“The company that is looking to redevelop that building is using our Market Street Sub-Area Plan, which is our intent, to gain points in their application,” Dombrosky said.
The changes to the plan are not specific to this one grant applicant but to affordable housing, he explained, so some other developer could apply for grant monies using the city’s plan.
Dombrosky said a few lines in the plan were changed and one paragraph was added.
“The one paragraph that was added just added the emphasis on affordable housing, adding opportunities for affordable housing in the neighborhood,” he said.
Some of the tweaks touched on the number of stories allowed in a building, the number of units per acre, density and height restrictions.
“I emphasize again this is not a code change, this is a comprehensive plan. This is a recommendation. This will be used as guidance when we’re making other decisions. This is not a binding decision in itself,” Dombrosky told the plan commission.
He said the meeting was an advertised public hearing for the changes to the comprehensive plan. Since it is time-sensitive, he asked the commission for a motion to approve the changes and send them on to the city council for approval. It was unanimously approved.
In other business, the plan commission:
• Approved a request by Whitley Memorial Hospital Inc. to adjust the location and size of the proposed free-standing sign for the YMCA Parkview campus. Originally, a 24-foot by 18-foot sign to advertise Parkview was going to be in place along U.S. 30. Because of a substantially larger setback off of the highway than originally anticipated, to accommodate AT&T’s fiber optics, the sign will be increased to 36 feet by 28.5 feet and will advertise the YMCA and Parkview. Since it is a lighted sign, the applicant must still get approval for it from the state highway department.
Skinner said the Parkview sign will be the same height as Menard’s sign but less square footage.
• Discussed revising the development standards for industrial and commercial districts. The changes use some principles of what Dombrosky labeled “form-based code,” where building restrictions are “more based on surrounding properties than your property. Form-based code takes into consideration what’s nearby.”
Commission member Mike Klondaris said, “I like the idea of flexibility very much.”
Councilman Jeff Grose said he also liked the idea and that it was proactive, pro-industry and progressive.
Dombrosky said he will put the changes in ordinance format and advertise them for discussion for the next plan commission’s meeting.[[In-content Ad]]
Common Wealth Development, of Madison, Wis., is the developer, according to City Planner Jeremy Skinner.
Tuesday night, the Warsaw Plan Commission approved recommending changes to the city’s comprehensive plan to the city council to help the developer in securing the grant as well as future affordable housing grant applicants.
In March 2012, Little Crow Foods then-President Denny Fuller confirmed the company was sold to Gilster-Mary Lee in Chester, Ill. Little Crow Foods was established in 1903 and made such products as CoCo Wheats and Miracle Maize. On Dec. 10, 2012, the Kosciusko County Community Foundation accepted the gift of the Little Crows Foods property from the Fuller family.
Skinner told the Plan Commission last night, “As is typical with any type of grant that you apply for, you have certain rules and regulations, things they like to see. It gives you points and awards points toward your application and makes you higher ranking and puts you in a better position to win the grant. As we continue to work with a developer out of Wisconsin on the Little Crow building, the grant that they’re applying for wanted some language in there that makes it more appealing toward the grant application. So, that’s basically what we’re presenting tonight: the language change that will make it more appealing for that grant.”
He said they weren’t changing any “philosophical” parts of the comprehensive plan, but is more language based to fit the grant application.
Rick Keeven, commission member, said he wasn’t aware that anyone was interested in the building.
“They have a contract with this developer out of Wisconsin,” Skinner said. “They are in the grant application now. I believe it’s due Nov. 2 and I think it will be awarded sometime in December.”
Keeven asked what was the purpose of the grant.
“It’ll be housing. Affordable or market-rate housing, whatever you want to call it. Obviously, we’re very excited about the possibility of that happening, but they have to get the grant to make it happen,” Skinner said.
If the developer doesn’t get the grant this time, Skinner said he doesn’t know if they will apply for it again. The grants are awarded twice a year.
“We’re helping them out, making some amendments that will give them some extra points on the grant,” Skinner said.
Assistant City Planner Tim Dombrosky went through the comprehensive plan and made some modifications to it that the planning department was comfortable in making to give the developer some points on the grant but not change the “end goal” of the plan.
Dombrosky said, “All we’re doing here is adding in specific language to promote affordable housing development in the Market Street neighborhood.”
He said the IHCDA looks for affordable housing language in comprehensive plans. Warsaw didn’t have that in the Market Street part of the comprehensive plan specifically.
“The company that is looking to redevelop that building is using our Market Street Sub-Area Plan, which is our intent, to gain points in their application,” Dombrosky said.
The changes to the plan are not specific to this one grant applicant but to affordable housing, he explained, so some other developer could apply for grant monies using the city’s plan.
Dombrosky said a few lines in the plan were changed and one paragraph was added.
“The one paragraph that was added just added the emphasis on affordable housing, adding opportunities for affordable housing in the neighborhood,” he said.
Some of the tweaks touched on the number of stories allowed in a building, the number of units per acre, density and height restrictions.
“I emphasize again this is not a code change, this is a comprehensive plan. This is a recommendation. This will be used as guidance when we’re making other decisions. This is not a binding decision in itself,” Dombrosky told the plan commission.
He said the meeting was an advertised public hearing for the changes to the comprehensive plan. Since it is time-sensitive, he asked the commission for a motion to approve the changes and send them on to the city council for approval. It was unanimously approved.
In other business, the plan commission:
• Approved a request by Whitley Memorial Hospital Inc. to adjust the location and size of the proposed free-standing sign for the YMCA Parkview campus. Originally, a 24-foot by 18-foot sign to advertise Parkview was going to be in place along U.S. 30. Because of a substantially larger setback off of the highway than originally anticipated, to accommodate AT&T’s fiber optics, the sign will be increased to 36 feet by 28.5 feet and will advertise the YMCA and Parkview. Since it is a lighted sign, the applicant must still get approval for it from the state highway department.
Skinner said the Parkview sign will be the same height as Menard’s sign but less square footage.
• Discussed revising the development standards for industrial and commercial districts. The changes use some principles of what Dombrosky labeled “form-based code,” where building restrictions are “more based on surrounding properties than your property. Form-based code takes into consideration what’s nearby.”
Commission member Mike Klondaris said, “I like the idea of flexibility very much.”
Councilman Jeff Grose said he also liked the idea and that it was proactive, pro-industry and progressive.
Dombrosky said he will put the changes in ordinance format and advertise them for discussion for the next plan commission’s meeting.[[In-content Ad]]
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