Planners Send 2 Zoning Ordinances To City For Approval

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

By Jennifer [email protected]

Warsaw Plan Commission Monday approved submitting favorable recommendations for two zoning ordinances to the Warsaw City Council.

The ordinances recommended include an ordinance defining large retail sales establishments and development plan design standards. The other ordinance is zoning for residential facilities for individuals with a mental illness.[[In-content Ad]]City Planner Jeremy Skinner wrote the zoning ordinance that defines a large retail sales establishment as a single retail or wholesale user who occupies no less than 65,000 square feet of gross floor area, which offers for sale a wide variety but limited selection of consumer products.

The establishments require high parking-to-building area ratios and may have a regional sales market.

The ordinance also provides nine development design standards for all improvements and new construction within a commercial zoning district.

The proposed ordinance states all facades visible from adjoining properties or public streets not including improved or unimproved alleys must include pleasing scale features.

It also states all sides of a principal building that directly face an abutting public street, not including improved or unimproved alleys, must feature at least one customer entrance.

Facades greater than 100 feet in length must incorporate recesses and projections a minimum of 4 feet in depth and a minimum of 20 continuous feet within each 100 feet of facade length.

Other standards include building facades must include a repeating pattern that must include color, texture and material module change and roof lines must provide variations to reduce the massive scale of the structures.

Smooth-faced concrete block and non-architectural finished tilt-up concrete panels or prefabricated steel panels are prohibited as exterior building materials in all commercial zoning districts.

The ordinance states C-4 downtown zoning districts will restrict exterior building material to permit only brick, limestone or natural stone materials and facade colors must be of low reflectance, subtle, neutral or earth-tone colors. Each principal building or tenant space must have a clearly defined customer entrance.

Dan Robinson, Robinson Construction, again attended the meeting to provide input on the zoning ordinance. He previously attended the commission's December meeting.

Robinson said the ordinance overall was effective, but he had concerns with restricting builders to only allow brick, limestone and natural stone materials because he said it would be too limiting. He also said it may be too limiting to determine what colors owners will be allowed to use for their businesses.

The commission also approved submitting a zoning ordinance to the city council for residential facilities for individuals with a mental illness.

The proposed ordinance states a zoning ordinance must not exclude a residential facility for individuals with a mental illness from a residential area solely because the residential facility is a business or because the individuals residing in the residential facility are not related.

The ordinance also states a zoning ordinance may exclude a residential facility for individuals with a mental illness from a residential area if the residential facility will be located within 3,000 feet of another residential facility for individuals with a mental illness as measured between lot lines.

In other business, petitioners Kent and Roxanne Wildman requested a sketch plat to subdivide a 9-acre lot located at 925 S. Zimmer Road.

The subdivision will split the lot into three new lots approximately two acres in size and one existing lot.

The petitioners requested to subdivide the acres and build one or two more homes. The petitioners said the project will take two years with one house built this year and another home built next year.

Skinner said the proposed split meets the zoning requirements for lot size in order to accommodate a septic system and will be accessed by a private drive.

As part of the subdivision, the petitioner will be required to include an ingress and egress easement and maintenance agreement for the private drive.

The board gave a favorable recommendation for the petitioners to proceed with the preliminary and final plat for the proposed minor subdivision.

Warsaw Plan Commission Monday approved submitting favorable recommendations for two zoning ordinances to the Warsaw City Council.

The ordinances recommended include an ordinance defining large retail sales establishments and development plan design standards. The other ordinance is zoning for residential facilities for individuals with a mental illness.[[In-content Ad]]City Planner Jeremy Skinner wrote the zoning ordinance that defines a large retail sales establishment as a single retail or wholesale user who occupies no less than 65,000 square feet of gross floor area, which offers for sale a wide variety but limited selection of consumer products.

The establishments require high parking-to-building area ratios and may have a regional sales market.

The ordinance also provides nine development design standards for all improvements and new construction within a commercial zoning district.

The proposed ordinance states all facades visible from adjoining properties or public streets not including improved or unimproved alleys must include pleasing scale features.

It also states all sides of a principal building that directly face an abutting public street, not including improved or unimproved alleys, must feature at least one customer entrance.

Facades greater than 100 feet in length must incorporate recesses and projections a minimum of 4 feet in depth and a minimum of 20 continuous feet within each 100 feet of facade length.

Other standards include building facades must include a repeating pattern that must include color, texture and material module change and roof lines must provide variations to reduce the massive scale of the structures.

Smooth-faced concrete block and non-architectural finished tilt-up concrete panels or prefabricated steel panels are prohibited as exterior building materials in all commercial zoning districts.

The ordinance states C-4 downtown zoning districts will restrict exterior building material to permit only brick, limestone or natural stone materials and facade colors must be of low reflectance, subtle, neutral or earth-tone colors. Each principal building or tenant space must have a clearly defined customer entrance.

Dan Robinson, Robinson Construction, again attended the meeting to provide input on the zoning ordinance. He previously attended the commission's December meeting.

Robinson said the ordinance overall was effective, but he had concerns with restricting builders to only allow brick, limestone and natural stone materials because he said it would be too limiting. He also said it may be too limiting to determine what colors owners will be allowed to use for their businesses.

The commission also approved submitting a zoning ordinance to the city council for residential facilities for individuals with a mental illness.

The proposed ordinance states a zoning ordinance must not exclude a residential facility for individuals with a mental illness from a residential area solely because the residential facility is a business or because the individuals residing in the residential facility are not related.

The ordinance also states a zoning ordinance may exclude a residential facility for individuals with a mental illness from a residential area if the residential facility will be located within 3,000 feet of another residential facility for individuals with a mental illness as measured between lot lines.

In other business, petitioners Kent and Roxanne Wildman requested a sketch plat to subdivide a 9-acre lot located at 925 S. Zimmer Road.

The subdivision will split the lot into three new lots approximately two acres in size and one existing lot.

The petitioners requested to subdivide the acres and build one or two more homes. The petitioners said the project will take two years with one house built this year and another home built next year.

Skinner said the proposed split meets the zoning requirements for lot size in order to accommodate a septic system and will be accessed by a private drive.

As part of the subdivision, the petitioner will be required to include an ingress and egress easement and maintenance agreement for the private drive.

The board gave a favorable recommendation for the petitioners to proceed with the preliminary and final plat for the proposed minor subdivision.
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