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Currently, Indiana does not allow for the transferring of developmental rights of property.
But at the Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission meeting Wednesday, the plan commission and county commissioners Avis Gunter and Ron Truex discussed the idea of encouraging the state legislators to pass legislation to allow "TDRs."
TDRs allow one landowner to sell the development rights of his property to another landowner while still retaining his property.
The discussion came as part of the plan commission's review of proposed preliminary changes to the zoning ordinances. Dan Richard, plan commission director, said the changes are just proposals and nothing solid. The board did not go through the entire 10 pages of changes.
Some of the changes include adding three new classifications to the county's zoning - R-1 (high density residential), R-2 (medium) and R-3 (low).
Truex said the proposals were just adding "two more confusing zonings." He said he didn't see the need to add any more zoning regulations.
"I don't like to restrict the landowner's use of his land through some ordinance we pass," Truex said later.
With TDRs, Truex said, a landowner can maximize the value of his property and still own it.
Kelly Easterday, plan commission member and Purdue Extension ag educator, asked how long it would be before TDRs would be a reality. She said the state hasn't even brought up TDRs yet.
Truex said Kosciusko County may need to present it to the state themselves through local legislators.
Truex said TDRs would help to concentrate housing in residential areas and maximize density. It would help preserve farmland while allowing farmers to maximize profit. He said they need to work on the right to do TDRs now and then tweak it later.
Under the proposals, the plan commission also discussed parking spaces requirements. The proposals would require two parking spaces per dwelling for a single family or two-family residence. For a multi-family residence, 2.5 parking spaces per dwelling unit would be required.
Plan commission member Charlie Haffner suggested at least four parking spaces per unit in a multi-family dwelling should be required. Requests for exemptions could be made.
For lots on public sewer, a maximum square foot lot area would be required under the proposals in areas zoned Ag 2 or residential 1-3, if approved. For Ag 2, the maximum would be five acres; 17,000 square feet for R-1; one acre for R-2; and five acres for R-3.
Other proposals presented to the plan commission include ordinances on advertising/event lighting and restrictions on real estate signs, poles, banners and communication towers.
In other business, the plan commission:
• Continued Donald Bucher's petition for a preliminary plat approval for White Tail Run Phase II, a residential development. The property is on the south side of and the north and east sides of LaPoint Drive on Camelot Lake, Van Buren Township. The plan commission wants more information regarding the subdivision's drainage plan and calculations.
• Approved the final plat for Acorn Estates, a nine-lot subdivision along Levi Lee Road, with a $90,000 surety bond from the developer for road and drainage work yet to be completed.
Members of the plan commission are chairman Vic Virgil, Charlie Haffner, Norm Lovell, Don Arms, Kevin McSherry, Larry Coplen, Kelly Easterday, Dick Kemper and Hal Strong. They meet at 1 p.m. in the Justice Building meeting room on the first Wednesday of every month.
For more about the plan commission, visit online at www.kcgov.com
