Combined Community Services received a use variance for transitional shelter in a C-3 zoned district Monday.

Director of development Darlene Redinger appeared before the Warsaw Board of Zoning Appeals representing the charity.

CCS plans to provide housing for homeless families in the former ExtendaCare Nursing Home, 2402 E. Center St., at the corner of Center and Argonne Road.

The facility, owned by OHI (Indiana) Inc., was originally built for residential care.

Redinger said homeless families would use the housing for a three- to six-month period and the program would not accept more than 45 adults and children at a time.

She said extensive background checks would be conducted for each applicant: no active alcohol or drug users would be allowed. People seeking shelter from an abusive situation, people with a mental illness or people convicted or in the process of being investigated for any crime relating to sexual misconduct of children would not be accepted.

"The main reason people are homeless is lack of life skills," Redinger said. "This will allow them time to get a high school diploma or a GED, get a job and retain that job. They must have a dependent child to be considered."

Access to the building will be granted through on-camera viewing and "key cards."

Sandra Hill, 2307 E. Market St., and Teresa Ho, Warsaw's community development director, remonstrated against the petition.

Hill wanted to know why the neighborhood wasn't notified of CCS' plans and was advised only adjacent neighbors were given certified notices regarding the request.

Then Hill wanted to know how CCS was going to finance the building and was told the board wasn't concerned with the finances, only zoning variances.

Hill said the building was declared unsafe and wondered why CCS would buy it.

City planner Jeff Noffsinger said the last owners decided the building was unsafe and nothing of that nature was ever on file at the planning and building department.

Ho wondered who would be responsible for the upkeep of the building. She was not sure transitional housing was appropriate use for a building leading into the city. She said her concerns were about aesthetics.

Ho has been hired to be concerned about the city's appearance and coordinate plans to follow the HyettPalma Downtown Action Plan.

There was discussion regarding screening of the property from the street and the number of parking spaces available.

BZA president Bruce Woodward said he served on a housing study committee a few years ago and knows about the number of homeless in the community.

"There are 30 or more people at any one time in Warsaw," he said. "This is an excellent example of an organization stepping forward and taking care of a problem in the community."

Bob South, vice president of the Spanish World Church's board of directors, represented that organization for a use variance at 1023 E. Winona Ave. for a church in a commercially zoned district.

The request was approved contingent upon facts from the Alcohol Beverage Commission laws.

The Winona Avenue Pizza King, which has a liquor license, is 180 feet to the west.

The board did not believe an established business should lose its liquor license if a church moved next door.

South said the church will hold Sunday morning meetings and offer services to the Hispanic community during the week.

Parking availability was discussed by the board. It was noted that the "back lot" was gravel, and South was advised the lot also would have to be paved.

In other business, the board:

• Denied the petition of Craig Conrad, 206 Wedrick Drive, 4-to-1, with Woodward voting against the denial. Conrad's wife, Katherine, appeared before the board requesting a 30-foot by 48-foot accessory building. The planned building is greater in height than the principal structure and did not have a 6-foot setback from the rear of the principal structure.

The board also found the size of the building inconsistent with the rest of the neighborhood.

• Also denied the petition of Randy Hershberger, 1115 E. Market St., 4-to-1, with Woodward voting against the denial. Hershberger, a building contractor, represented property owner John Horn.

The petition was denied because a requested accessory building exceeded 750 square feet, being 864 square feet, on an 8,400- square-foot property in a R-2 zone.

• Approved the request of Denny Messmore to add an 8-foot by 12-foot addition on the rear of the residence at 319 N. Washington.

Owned by Doris Reese, the house is attached to another structure owned by Irene Secor on a separate lot.

• Approved a variance from developmental standards as requested by Lawrence Ramsey for a 17-foot rear yard setback for an attached two-car garage.

Builder Mike Reiff represented the owner, Lawrence Ramsey, 115 S. Scott St.

• Approved a second institutional sign for First Baptist Church at 2819 Patterson Road.

Church member Jay Widman said the new sign will be 37-1/2 square feet, 5-1/2 square feet greater than current requirements.

Board of zoning appeals members are Bruce Woodward, Alan Clingan, Richard Keeven, Dan Hampton and Tom Heuer. Jim Gast was absent. [[In-content Ad]]