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How many lots does it take for the county to require a subdivision to have interior roads instead of drives onto county-maintained roads?
That's the question attorney Steve Snyder, representing Sycamore Fields LLC, asked the Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission Wednesday.
Sycamore Fields' petition before the plan commission was for a preliminary plat approval for an agricultural II development on 26.214 acres. The property is on the corner of CR 450N and Sullivan Road (CR 650E) in Tippecanoe Township.
Dan Richard, plan commission director, said the petition first appeared before the plan commission a couple of months ago as a nine-lot subdivision. Now the plat is being presented as a seven-lot subdivision, but, like the nine-lot subdivision, the drives to each residence adjoin county-maintained roads.
At previous meetings, Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson told the plan commission and Snyder that he preferred subdivisions to have interior roads instead of each drive emptying onto a county-maintained road. Ladson was not at the plan commission meeting Wednesday and is not a member of the plan commission but gives his opinions on petitions from the county highway standpoint.
Snyder said Wednesday that Sycamore Fields is trying to determine at what stage the plan commission will approve a subdivision without having to have interior roads. There are other subdivisions in the county, he said, with three or four lots that don't have interior roads.
"At what number will this plan commission approve a subdivision without interior roads?" Snyder asked.
Plan commission member Don Ahrms asked Snyder if cost is a consideration when it comes to interior roads. Snyder said cost is a factor, but the bigger question is the number of lots in a subdivision versus the requirement of interior roads.
Richard Kemper, Kosciusko County surveyor and plan commission member, asked Snyder if he knew what the developers think about having residences share driveways. Snyder said it is a possibility but is not favored.
If the plan commission allows three drives, plan commission member Kevin McSherry said, the lots couldn't be made any bigger because that would be a waste of land. McSherry made a motion to allow three driveway cuts as long as the lots aren't any larger than they appear on the preliminary plat. The motion was approved by a vote of 6 to 3.
Hal Strong, plan commission member, said he was against the motion because he'd rather see interior roads and the area is becoming more residential. "I don't think it's practical to that area," he said.
The preliminary plat petition was then continued to the October meeting so Snyder could present the plan commission's directive to the petitioner and the petitioner could draw up a revised preliminary plat.
Snyder also represented Doyle and Elaine Munson, who petitioned the plan commission to rezone property from an agricultural district to an agricultural II district. The property is on the east side of Packerton Road, north and south of CR 375S in Wayne Township.
Snyder said the 97 acres is in an area suitable for future Warsaw development.
"As Warsaw continues to grow, as the county continues to grow, you'll continuously be provided with opportunities like these to control large tracts," he said. The area, he said, will sooner or later be developed. "Even though you think the rezoning is early, it may not be as early as you think," and the rezoning will give the plan commission the opportunity to control the development of the area.
Ahrms said he is a strong believer in not taking agricultural land out of production.
William Goshorn, a remonstrator, said he is concerned about drainage. Traffic, he said, also will heavily increase.
Several other remonstrators said they were also concerned about traffic and drainage and that there be no mobile or manufactured homes in the area.
Snyder replied that drainage will be taken care of as required by county ordinances. There will also be no mobile or manufactured homes.
If the property was closer to Warsaw, said plan commission member Charlie Haffner, everything Snyder argued about would be true. However, the property is 1-1/2 miles south of the corporate limits of Warsaw and surrounded by agricultural land.
McSherry agreed, but said, "if we don't gain control of this now, we'll lose control piece by piece."
Haffner made a motion to deny the rezoning and the plan commission denied it unanimously. The issue will go before the county commissioners at 10 a.m. Sept. 25 in the county courthouse.
In other business, the area plan commission:
• Approved Max and Janice Anglin's petition for preliminary plat approval for a residential development on a tract of ground. The property is in Claypool on the north side of Noah Street, west of Rebecca Street and east of Lindsay Street in Clay Township.
• Continued John Church's petition for a preliminary plat approval for an agricultural II development on 5.163 acres. The property is on the east side of Gunter Road, 1,310 feet south of 8 Square Road, in Plain Township.
• Approved Tri Lakes Subdivision's final plat for a commercial development on 3.46 acres. The property is on the west side of Old Ind. 15, south of CR 400N in Plain Township.
Members of the plan commission are: Kemper, Haffner, Strong, Norm Lovell, Vic Virgil, Ahrms, Barbara Carwile, McSherry and Kelly Easterday. They meet at 1 p.m. in the Kosciusko County courthouse, Warsaw, on the first Wednesday of every month.
