With Rice Ford now Model 1 Ford of Warsaw, the Warsaw business needed more parking space so it petitioned the Warsaw Board of Zoning Appeals on Monday to use gravel for that space.
Assistant City Planner Jackson Longenbaugh explained to the board the petitioner requested a variance from development standards to allow gravel as a paving material in a Commercial-3 zoning district at 436 W. CR 250N.
He said the area is going to be used for private storage for Model 1 Ford and not meant for public use. It will be used for parking transit vans and minibuses. They are expecting a surplus of vehicles and need space to adequately park them soon.
“The plans for expanding or building a new dealership are unknown at this point, so gravel is a good option for them. It allows for change in the future. This will have little to no impact due to its location in the rear of the property and low traffic,” Longenbaugh stated.
This plan is subject to site plan review and permitting from the Warsaw Engineering and Planning departments.
He said it was the opinion of the planning department that the variance to allow gravel as a paving material in a C-3 zoning district be approved at 436 W. CR 250N.
Board Vice President Rick Keeven wasn’t clear on the type of vehicles that were going to be parked there. “Are these things that Ford owns or are they some public vehicles or something that will be parked here?”
Longenbaugh replied they were Ford vehicles like mini-buses and passenger vans. Keeven asked if they were going to sell or lease the vehicles.
Gabe Douglas, with Model 1 Ford, said, “Kind of what we have going on is, Model 1 is the largest commercial bus sales in the country. So now they have like almost 7,000 or 8,000 buses in stock ready for commercial sales. When I say buses, I’m talking like mini-transit, Ford transit chassis buses. So being that they purchased our dealership to help their business model, those vehicles are going to be showing up at our location and we don’t have room to park them.”
He said they’ll have about 70 in the next few weeks that are going to be there, just to start out.

    New Warsaw Board of Zoning Appeals members (L to R) Zack Tucker and Duane Huffer take the oath of office Monday. They replace Dan Smith and Jeff Johnson on the board. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
  

“And that’s going to kind of be a transitioning from where they’re manufactured to us. We prep them, service them in our service department, get them ready to ship back out for Model 1,” Douglas said. “So this is just for us to use internally, not for customers. It’s not like we’re going to be walking customers back to that location.”
The area on the property Model 1 Ford is looking to gravel currently is a grassy area in the back. Douglas said they’re still going to have to do soil surveys, engineering and drainage so they don’t know how it’s all going to look just yet. He said they just wanted to make sure they could use gravel as a paving source if they want and then will go ahead with the engineering and planning, which will cost $10,000-$15,000.
With no remonstrators, the board unanimously approved the variance petition.
Ralph and Lucinda Howard petitioned for a variance from development standards to allow a third accessory structure in a Residential-1 zoning district at 915 S. Zimmer Road.
The petitioner has two existing structures for storage. The third proposed structure would be a 10-foot by 12-foot greenhouse used for personal food production. Longenbaugh said this is a unique use for an accessory structure and isn’t expected to have a high impact on the area. Per the ordinance, this is not permitted. The ordinance states that no more than two freestanding accessory buildings shall be permitted per zone lot.
He said, however, that it was the opinion of the planning department that the variance to allow a third accessory structure be approved at 915 S. Zimmer Road.
Lucinda Howard said they have a garden, which is her hobby, and that’s why she wanted a greenhouse.
“Where it’s going to sit, it’s going to be up against the woods and that’s the levelest part of our property, other than setting it out front by (Ind.) 25 or 915 South Zimmer, so that’s why we put it to the back,” she said.
With no remonstrators, the board unanimously approved the petition.
In other business, Mayor Jeff Grose presented plaques to Jeff Johnson and Dan Smith to recognize them for their years of service to the board. Both men stepped off the board at the end of 2024.
“Dan and Jeff serving on this board for almost a decade. Not an easy board. We’re going to swear in two new members,” Grose said. “I’ve known you guys for years and just your willingness - like everybody else - to step forward and serve, I greatly appreciate it.”
Grose then gave the oath of office to the two new board members replacing Smith and Johnson - Zack Tucker and Duane Huffer.
The board then re-elected Tammy Dalton as president and Keeven as vice president for 2025.
Meeting dates for 2025 were approved as Jan. 27, Feb. 24, March 24, April 28, May 27, June 23, July 28, Aug. 25, Sept. 22, Oct. 27, Nov. 24 and Dec. 22.