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By a unanimous vote, the Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission approved recommending to the county commissioners a change in the county's subdivision control ordinance.
According to the current county ordinance, a subdivision is defined as the division of land shown as a unit prior to March 1, 1975, into four or more parcels.
The plan commission's recommendation - if the county commissioners approve it at their 10 a.m. April 23 meeting - will change the definition of a subdivision to a division of land shown as a unit prior to March 1, 1975, into three or more parcels.
The division of land into parcels of 20 acres or more, which does not involve any new streets or easements of access, is not considered a subdivision under current ordinance and is considered an exemption from the requirements of the ordinance.
No recommendations on increasing the exemption size were approved.
Also, the plan commission agreed to discuss at its May meeting a change in the county's ordinance regarding minimum lot size for lots not on a municipal sewer system.
Kosciusko County Health Department Administrator Bob Weaver told the plan commission the health board unanimously approved recommending to the plan commission to make the ordinance change at its meeting last week.
Currently, a lot must be a minimum of 15,000 square feet to have an on-site sewage system. The health department wants to increase that to 20,000 square feet.
Weaver said the county often has problems with new homes on new lots because, after all the plans are approved for a lot and its sewage system, the homeowners find they can't fit the septic system onto the lot.
The change in minimum lot size, Weaver said, would be only for new homes on new lots.
Weaver said the 20,000-square-foot minimum size is still small compared to some counties.
Area Plan Director Dan Richard said the ordinance change will be advertised for discussion at next month's meeting.
The plan commission approved a petition by Woodrow Everly to rezone approximately 15 acres from an environmental district to an agricultural district. The property is 345 feet east of CR 780W and 1,550 feet north of Ind. 25 in Harrison Township.
The plan commission is only a recommending board to the county commissioners on rezonings. Everly's petition will go before the county commissioners at 10 a.m. April 23.
Also approved by the plan commission was a six-month extension for Ridgeview Estates' preliminary plat approval. The property is on the south side of Tippecanoe Lake, one-quarter mile west of Grassy Creek on the north side of Armstrong Road.
Richard also informed the plan commission that the Warsaw and county plan commissions may meet jointly next month to discuss the effect the Western Alternative Route Project will have on Ind. 15. No dates and times are set.
Members of the plan commission are Vic Virgil, Charlie Haffner, Kelly Easterday, Kevin McSherry, Dick Kemper, Barbara Carwile, Don Arms, Hal Strong and Norm Lovell.
The APC meets at 1 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month at the county courthouse.
