Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
After more than two hours of discussion, the Warsaw Plan Commission tabled the secondary review of Biggs Inc.'s proposed construction of the subdivision Paths of Deerfield in a planned unit development.
Board members expressed concerns regarding the use of an open field and wetland in the northeast corner of the subdivision neighboring CRs 175E and 75N. Biggs initially proposed using the area for recreation, however, board members discouraged the idea, saying the nearby roads and wetlands would create safety hazards for children.
Member Lacy Francis discussed the importance of placing a guard rail along the northeast corner of the subdivision, whether the area be used for recreational purposes or residential lots.
Another "problem area" for the board arose from the tapered entrances of the subdivision. Vice president Jeff Grose said he wanted to see complete deceleration lanes into Paths of Deerfield and didn't believe the tapers would be adequate for safety reasons.
Gross also disapproved of the lot sizes in the subdivision. Biggs presented 91 lots in his plans and had requested a 90-lot plan in his initial review with the plan commission in May.
"Since the initial review, you removed three lots from your plans to incorporate a recreational area, but now you come before us with an additional lot to the total presented before," Gross said. "I don't see how this will benefit anyone and I don't agree with how this was done."
Ralph Biggs, owner of Biggs construction, said the additional lot met city standards and were adequate sizes in many zoning districts.
"If you look at the lot sizes, you'll see that these are not small spaces," Biggs said. "As for the additional lot, we re-evaluated our plans and found room for this lot number. The decision was based on economics."
Neighboring residents Richard and Jo Lynn Mylin questioned whether their property would be affected by the construction of the subdivision and proposed plans to fill in a wetland along the east edge of the property.
The Mylins currently experience water problems on their adjacent property and did not want to see the conditions continue or get worse.
"I can confidently tell you this wetland fill will not make your problems worse," city planner Jeremy Skinner said. "As for a solution, I can't say it will solve everything, but there are chances it will help."
After a five minute recess by the commission, members unanimously voted to table the review, with recommendations to:
• Relocate a recreational area, preferably within the center of the subdivision and replace the northeast corner with two residential lots.
• Install safety features along CR 75N. A guardrail was the recommended option.
• Recalculate drainage to conform with the city's stormwater technical requirements.
• Create a written contract with adjacent property owner Dale Custer regarding vegetational screening along the southside of Paths of Deerfield.
In other matters, the board voted for first and final plat approval for Kosciusko 21st Century Foundation's request to replat one lot in the Healthpark subdivision into two lots for commercial use.
The board also:
• Approved Park Ridge Developers LLC's request for final plat approval to construct a subdivision west of County Farm Road. The approved Park Ridge subdivision consists of 69 acres which will contain a proposed 80 lots.
The approval of the final plat comes 11 months after the preliminary plat approval last year.
• Approved David L. Carey's request for final plat approval on the proposed 48-lot Northwest Woods at the Crossing subdivision.
The subdivision will consist of 24 acres of residential and commercial lots, and will be west of the CR 350N and Ind. 15S intersection.
Present board members were Gross, Francis, Joe Thallemer, Rick Keevan, Alan Clingan, Tammy Dalton and Jim Gast.
