The Kosciusko County Commissioners approved the establishment of an overlay district Tuesday.
The purpose of the district is to provide the county with a set of criteria for commercial and industrial development within the district's two areas, along Ind. 15, north and south of Warsaw. At their Aug. 1 meeting, the Area Plan Commission voted to recommend the County Commissioners approve the overlay district. Assistant County Planner Matt Sandy told the commissioners one of the Plan Commission's goals for the district is to limit the number of accesses to Ind. 15.
"State Road 15 is one of our main arteries and we want to try to preserve that," Sandy said.
Establishment of the overlay district means businesses moving into the district will be required to work with the county planning office's technical committee to establish cooperative solutions to drainage, road access and other infrastructure in the area.
Sandy said most large corporations expect to work with development criteria from the county because many other communities already have established overlay districts. He said the aim of establishing the district is to encourage responsible development.
County planning officials have been working to establish the district for six months. Discussions on the development of an overlay district began when work started on the Louis Dreyfus plant near Claypool. The northern area also was included after plans began for connecting Leesburg to Warsaw's sewer system.
The commissioners voted unanimously in favor of establishing the district. Commissioner Bob Conley said, "I think it's another layer of government, but it's one that is necessary."
The overlay district became effective upon approval.
