Plan Commission Finds Compromise on Vacating Public Way
Posted
Daniel Riordan-driordan@timesuniononline.com
Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission reached a compromise on a proposed vacation of a public way and further discussed confined animal feeding operations at its monthly meeting Wednesday afternoon.
The plan commission reached a compromise to leave two public walkways available to neighbors in the Wa-Will-Away Park area of Chapman Lake.
Attorney Steve Snyder represented property owner Joseph Hammons, who owns property at 783 and 787 Chapman Lake Drive.
After a lengthy discussion between Snyder and the plan commission over what access is available to the public and potential safety concerns, a motion to deny the request was met with a 4-3 vote.
Plan commission members Larry Coplen, Dr. Lee Harman and Bob Conley voted against denying the request.
Dick Kemper, Jim Moyer, Chuck Haffner and Kevin McSherry voted for the denial.
But since the board is a nine-person board, and though only seven members were on hand, five votes are needed to pass any motion.
Coplen then suggested a compromise which turned out to be creating a 6-foot-wide public way on the north side of 783 Chapman Lake Drive and one between 787 and 793 Chapman Lake Drive. This allows Hammons to consolidate his property.
That measure passed 7-0 and a favorable recommendation will go before the Kosciusko County Commissioners Jan. 17 in the old courtroom at the Kosciusko County Courthouse.
The plan commission reviewed maps drawn up by the plan department’s Matt Sandy. They showed where CAFOs and CFOs may be allowed if certain setbacks from things like incorporated towns and schools were enforced by the county.
McSherry told the plan commission it was his understanding that new regulation would essentially group all large farms into the group of CFOs, and that CAFOs as they are currently known would cease to exist.
Bob Bishop, vice president of the Kosciusko County Farm Bureau, spoke before the plan commission.
Bishop said he wasn’t one to defend the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, but farmers face strict regulations and restrictions when trying to set up a large farming operation.
Bishop said that an open secret is that in terms of dumping sewage and waste into rivers and waterways, an accusation levied against farms, that all cities are allowed to dump raw sewage into rivers at any time.
The plan commission will now turn to local watershed foundations for information from them for next month’s meeting.
Moyer once again brought up the issue of minimum lot sizes for new properties in the county.
A state health department measure requires a set aside area on all new properties that use septic systems to allow for extra green space.
That space can’t be developed and have anything built on it and is in addition to the property’s absorption field.
The current lot size minimum for Kosciusko County is 20,000 square feet.
Moyer said this creates problems for contractors when trying to build a home since the set-aside area can’t be disturbed in any way.
It also creates issues for residents who in the future may wish to build an in-ground pool, sheds or anything else on the property with limited space.
The issue will go before the plan commission’s technical committee for further review.
The plan commission approved rezoning the property at 104 E. Pearl St., Syracuse, from residential to commercial.
Thomas Combs owns the property and has reached an agreement with Jason Traycoff to rent out the property to turn it into a small, dinner-only restaurant.
Traycoff said the concept was going to be from farm to table working with local farmers.
The plan commission told Traycoff and Combs that the property needs a parking space for every 100 square feet of property used.
The plan commission voted unanimously to send a favorable recommendation to the Syracuse Town Council.
Haffner was named plan commission chairman for 2012, while McSherry was named vice chairman and Kemper was named secretary.
Plan commission member Keith Hardy was absent from Wednesday’s meeting.
The plan commission lost member Jerry Kreger, who resigned last month after losing his seat on the Pierceton Town Council.
Kreger served the plan commission as the small town advisory board’s choice.
The board will meet next month to choose Kreger’s replacement.
