Meijer Rezoning Denied

"Location. Location. Location," residents from Timber Ridge and Patterson Place said Monday at the Warsaw Plan Commission meeting about a proposed Meijer store.

Meijer's request to rezone 41.65 acres was denied by the planners.

The request will go before the Warsaw City Council April 17 without the plan commission's recommendation for approval.

Plan commission president Joe Thallemer said approximately 22.5 acres of the tract are currently zoned R1 (residential) and the remaining 19 acres are zoned C3 (arterial, commercial and single family residential.)

Meijer sought to have the entire tract zoned C5 (special commercial). The proposed Meijer store would be at 900 Husky Trail, along Patterson Road, where Stone Creek Homes is now.

"Tonight strictly is a rezoning matter," city planner Jeff Noffsinger said.

Thallemer said the decision to rezone is up to the city council. But members of the plan commission voted unanimously against Meijer's request.

Approximately 15 Warsaw residents spoke out at the meeting against the rezoning, and two Warsaw residents and one Leesburg resident spoke in favor of Meijer's request. Approximately 200 people attended the meeting.

Issues concerning residents affected included: traffic congestion, especially where Husky Trail and Patterson Road meet Parker Street; noise pollution from trucks unloading at the 24- hour retail store; lighting from the parking lot; and decreased property values due to a retail store next door.

Many residents said they would not be opposed to a Meijer store in Warsaw, just one in this location.

"I am totally against Meijer being in our neighborhood," Timber Ridge resident Larry Riley said.

Bob Friddle, Todd Davis and Steve Holbrook, residents of Patterson Place, also spoke against Meijer's request.

Friddle said he welcomes Meijer to Warsaw, but "other areas are better for it."

Sara Garcia, Helen Winters and Tom Lawrence, also of Patterson Place, spoke against the proposed rezoning as well.

"There's no right way to do the wrong thing," Lawrence said.

He also said he likes Meijer, but, "Again: location, location, location."

Besides location, traffic was a major concern for residents and board members.

"I'm really concerned about the traffic first and foremost," board member Bill Baldwin said.

Lacy Francis, board member and Warsaw street superintendent, also said he had "big concerns on traffic."

Board member Alan Clingan agreed that the intersection (Parker Street at Husky Road/Patterson Road) needs work, but, he said, the Meijer store is "inappropriate for that location."

Dewey Lawshe and Jeff Grose, board members, both agreed they would like to see Meijer in Warsaw, but not in the location requested.

Ted Andrews presented a traffic study conducted by Woolpert of Indianapolis.

"We have tried our very best to accommodate the Meijer traffic," Andrews said.

He also said the Parker Street intersection at Husky Trail and Patterson Road "will warrant a traffic signal once the proposed development is fully constructed."

"In all my years on the planning commission, I've never seen anything quite like it (traffic study)," Baldwin said. "It's very comprehensive."

But despite the "comprehensive" and "good" traffic study, concerns for traffic congestion were still high.

Meijer's attorney Steve Snyder said the traffic congestion will be taken care of and "is getting done."

"The worst intersection in town is never going to get better until something can get done," Snyder said. "They (Meijer) are creating an entirely new intersection."

Snyder said Meijer also can offer jobs to Warsaw residents and "can have an enhancing effect" or "no effect" to the adjacent residential property values.

He said it "boils down to, what is the highest and best use for this 41 acres?"

Snyder believes rezoning the large tract of land and opening a Meijer retail store is the "highest and best use."

Plan commission members did not agree.

Snyder also addressed other concerns raised by residents.

"Meijer has taken upon itself to limit the amount of light pollution," Snyder said in response to residents' lighting concerns.

"This can actually be a good neighbor for residential," he said.

These issues will be discussed further at the Warsaw City Council meeting at 7 p.m. Monday in the old courtroom in the county courthouse.

The decision to rezone or not will be made at that time.

In other business:

• Board members approved LRC Products Inc.'s request to vacate a plat for the Rolling Hills subdivision.

Only the first three tracts, of seven, will be vacated.

Before discussion began, board member Bill Baldwin, also a resident of Rolling Hills (subdivision neighboring with LCR), excused himself. His participation may be viewed as a conflict of interest.

Members of the Warsaw Plan Commission include: Joe Thallemer, Dewey Lawshe, Jeff Grose, Bill Baldwin, Richard Keeven and Alan Clingan.