WINONA LAKE - Brent Wilcoxson, managing director for the Village at Winona, is seeking final approval for a planned unit development that will allow completed structural improvements to be recorded.

Wilcoxson presented design plans for the planned unit development for the Village at Winona at the Winona Town Council's meeting Tuesday.

Wilcoxson said during the meeting he represented Grace Schools who own the Rodeheaver Auditorium parking lot.

The Winona Plan Commission approved preliminary approval of the planned unit development in 1998 when Richard Helm, representing Winona Restoration Partners LLC, filed the original planned unit development.

"A planned unit development allows a town to complete larger scale projects to fit in with the existing scape of communities for mixed uses such as hotels, parks and restaurants," Wilcoxson said.

He described the development as a zoning tool to declare and record structures that are being developed.

The plan would include recording downtown Winona Lake structural building improvements including structure improvements to the Boathouse Restaurant, hotel and parking areas in the town.

The planned unit development will allow the county to record the building structure locations that have been completed over the past eight years, Wilcoxson said.

The council tabled the final approval of the planned unit development for council members to review the plan. It will be discussed at the council's Dec. 27 meeting.

Wilcoxson said any new structures coming before the town still will need to be approved by the Winona Plan Commission and Winona Town Council.

Town Coordinator Craig Allebach said he has concerns with the vacation and rededication of Park Avenue in the plan.

"I see an issue with property rights when the public has to walk on the sidewalk to get to Chestnut Street and there is no right of way and people have to walk on private property," Allebach said.

He recommended on the south side of Kings Highway a sidewalk area be constructed to First Street.

Town attorney Jim Walmer suggested the council look at ownership of the East Canal Street channel front that already was vacated and said the Indiana Appeal's Court recently decided town ownership of the property.

"We need to properly deal with the legal ramifications of turning ownership of the East Canal channel front to the Village at Winona," Walmer said.

The final proposed plan development does not show East Canal Street being rededicated to the town of Winona Lake, but rather having ownership remain with the Village at Winona.

The council also tabled approving vacations at Elder Lane and the end of Park Avenue where the road turns into Lakeshore to allow the council to review the areas.

The town council recommended the vacation at Park Avenue and council member Joy Lohse said she was unaware the town made the request and thought the property owner wanted the street vacated.

An adjacent landowner attended Tuesday's meeting and said he had plenty of lakefront property, but the town wrote to him saying they wanted to vacate the property so they could collect taxes on it.

The property owner was concerned because he did not want to pay more taxes on the property and said the vacation may cause parking problems on his property.

Town council president Rolly Ortega suggested town engineer Larry Long look into the parking issues and allowable right of way on Park Avenue.

The council discussed the vacation of rights of way during its Nov. 28 meeting when a public hearing was held.

The council voted to table the request when Lohse suggested during the Nov. 28 meeting the council look at the properties that were proposed to be vacated before approving the vacations.

Town Council members are Ortega, Jeff Carroll, Jerry Clevenger, Dave Delp and Lohse. [[In-content Ad]]