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Following resident concerns, the Kosciusko County Board of Zoning Appeals continued a petition for an exception requested by a Nappanee-based business during a Tuesday, Oct. 13 meeting.
Ryan Miller, president and CEO of PWI, attended the meeting to ask for an exception to allow the expansion of the business through construction of a new overall 200,000-square-foot building, with an office, in an agricultural district. The proposed structure would be on the north side of CR 1000N and south of CR 1050N, Nappanee.
Miller told the board PWI is experiencing "an explosion of growth" and is outsourcing work out of the county in order to keep up with demand. Currently, the business has 238 employees and "partners with manufacturers to deliver innovative solutions that address complex material handling challenges," according to PWI's website.
Miller said he believed construction would occur in 2028. He also said the business works to divert traffic away from a nearby Amish school and is in constant communication with neighbors to the property throughout the process. Miller also explained the creation of privacy mounds for the neighbors.
Elmer Miller, a neighbor to the property, attended the meeting in opposition of Ryan's request.
"Previously today, you didn't grant a variance for a business and I agree with you, you did the right thing," said Elmer. "They are 100 times bigger than what he is. This should have been shut off 20 years ago. When I bought that property, where I live now, in 2006, they had 20 employees, maybe 30, and they weren't anywhere close to my house. If I go to sell my property right now, it will have zero worth."
Elmer said he also researched the number of exceptions and variances PWI had requested and said the Oct. 13 request was PWI's 12th.
"I think that's a sure sign that it's not compliant," said Elmer. "Is there anything else in Kosciusko County, a commercial building, zoned ag, that is that size? It doesn't belong in the countryside. If I had known they were going to grow around me, I never would've built my new house, my father-in-law would've never built a new house. We wouldn't be there."
Elmer said he believed the BZA was responsible for PWI's growth. He also noted Ryan had sent him a letter asking him to call or come into his office with any questions or concerns. Elmer said it was Ryan's responsibility to come to him, not the other way around.
"If PWI was Amish-owned, you would have made them move into an industrial park a long time ago," said Elmer. "To me and to a lot of the Amish community, that's the feeling a lot of people have. I just wish everybody would be treated the same. That's all I'm asking."
Wilbur Troyer, who resides on CR 1050N, also spoke in opposition of Ryan's request, expressing concerns with lower property values and flooding.
The board approved continuing the petition to the BZA's November meeting in order for additional conversations between PWI representatives and its neighbors to take place.
In other business, the board also continued two petitions presented by Kenneth Eloph for 404 S. First St., Pierceton. Eloph requested an exception to allow the construction of an oversized accessory building and a variance to place the building 6 feet from the north property line, zero feet from the west right-of-way and 20 feet from the south right-of-way. The BZA continued Eloph's requests in order to get feedback from Pierceton's town council.
A petition presented by Steven Foor and Bruce O'Neal for an exception to allow a garage to remain on a lot without a principal structure in a residential district was denied by the board. The garage is located on the north side of Lake Shore Drive East, south of Sellers Lake, located between Pierceton and Sidney.
O'Neal said he acquired the property about five months ago and that the house previously on the lot had burned down. Area Plan Director Matt Sandy expressed concerns with the structure's soundness, but O'Neal said it was fine. The board described issues with squatters and break-ins with that particular area of Sellers Lake, stating they had concerns a structure left there with no residence was open to those issues.
Burket Town Council President Bill Rayburn attended the meeting and said he owns property in that area, noting flooding issues and that he believed "if the guys aren't there, it's going to get trashed."
O'Neal said he mainly wanted to get the property cleaned up in order to be able to visit the lake on weekends with his family. BZA Chairman Lee Harman said the situation was "fraught with negatives" and the board voted to deny the petition with the request that the garage be removed within 90 days.
