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Steve and Bob Petro appeared before the Warsaw Plan Commission Thursday, requesting an amendment to the zoning ordinance to establish a planned unit development and to receive preliminary plat approval.
The men own Petro Brothers Chrysler Dodge Jeep and Petro Olds Buick Pontiac Cadillac GMC Inc. and plan to further develop the surrounding property with strip malls to the south and west of the car dealerships.
Plans call for five commercial zoned lots with two of the lots including the existing businesses. The remaining three lots would support retail businesses.
The planned unit development designation allows the property owners more discretion regarding building placement and parking layout while complying with C-3 regulations.
If the property had been traditionally platted, variances from development standards would have been necessary.
PUDs give no setback, height, length, buffering or lot sizes, yet must comply to covenants within the assigned zoning.
Plan commissioners Joe Thallemer, Dewey Lawshe, Richard Keeven and Alan Clingman approved the PUD after listening to the brothers' plans.
The Petros said an expanded intersection will have to be built and a stop light installed when the PUD has a committed 165,000 square feet of retail space under development.
According to their traffic adviser, Bradley Yarger of Yarger Engineering, Indianapolis, the intersection will include two exit lanes off Petro Drive, subject to Indiana Department of Transportation review and approval.
The planned unit development will be reviewed by the Warsaw city council and a secondary review will be necessary when the parcels are developed.
The commissioners also OK'd a preliminary plat submitted by the Petros in order to "fast track" the approval process.
City planner Jeff Noffsinger said usually an ordinance has to be approved by the council and then the commissioners get a look at preliminary plans, delaying plans considerably.
With preliminary approval the developer can still subdivide the property without delay.
Noffsinger wrote in his comments he prefers to use Petro Family LLC's PUD as a test case using this process.
The property, at the 2700/2800 block of North Detroit, contains 29.98 acres and has sewer and water utilities.
Also attending the meeting were Steve Rosbrugh and his mother, Elise Rosbrugh, who own agricultural land west of the Tippecanoe River and north of CR 300N.
