Silver Lake Discusses Rezoning, Holds Off On Official Town Opinion
Silver Lake Discusses Rezoning, Holds Off On Official Town Opinion
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Maddie Jo Shultz-
Silver Lake Discusses Rezoning, Holds Off On Official Town OpinionSILVER LAKE – On Wednesday night, the Silver Lake Town Council discussed the issue of land rezoning at Ind. 15 and Dixie Drive, and approved the 2022 salary schedule for Trevor Long, who was sworn in by Town Marshal Jason McGlennen.
Guest speaker Andrew Rossell, project manager and senior civil engineer at AR Engineering of Kalamazoo, Mich., spoke to the Council about the 17-acre Dixie Drive property. Pending the County Commissioners’ Nov. 23 rezoning consideration, Rossell provided details on the proposed business that would be placed on the property and asked for the Council’s support on the project.
On Nov. 3, the Kosciusko County Area Planning Commission unanimously recommended to deny the rezoning of the property from residential to commercial, given the community’s negative feedback provided to them by Plan Commission Director Dan Richard, who attended the regular October meeting in Silver Lake.
Rossell described the proposed business as a 12,000-square-foot market store, which would offer fresh produce and meat. He did not mention a specific brand or company, but Council member Jean Weller referred to the store as a Dollar General.
Council members Hugh Murfin and Nichole Taylor see advantages and disadvantages to the addition of a market store. Weller remains opposed to the placement of a store on the property, claiming there are other lots and empty buildings in Silver Lake available for development that are already zoned commercial. She also cited the residents surrounding the area, who she says “don’t need the traffic and riff-raff” of semis, bright lights and noise disruption.
Rossell said, “It’s a tough sell for the market stores in northern Indiana,” and asked the Council to list their reasons for approving or disapproving the store when reaching out to the county commissioners.
The Council cannot vote on the rezoning of the property because it is located just north of town limits. With two undecided members, the Council decided to hold off on an official town opinion and, instead, Murfin, Taylor and Weller will write letters to the commissioners before the Nov. 23 meeting.
Comments from the public came from Rev. Duane C. Seitz, pastor of the Silver Lake Wesleyan Church, which owns and is attempting to sell the property in question, and Alan Tio, director of the Kosciusko Economic Development Commission (KEDCO).
Seitz read from a prepared statement, urging the Council to support the rezoning. He claimed the addition of the market store is “one of the finest things we can do for our hometown.”
Tio said KEDCO would offer assistance to the town with development planning and property annexation, should the zoning be approved and the store be constructed.
In old business, the Council signed a retirement resolution setting the employer’s contribution at 7% for town employees.
In new business, Trevor Long was sworn in as a second deputy marshal for the Silver Lake Police Department. The Council voted to set Long’s starting wage at $16 per hour.
In other business:
• Utilities Superintendent Joey McNeal wants to try salt brine on the roads this year.
• Fire Chief John Conley reported three runs this month: two medical assists and one assist with Claypool on a combine fire.
• The claim docket was $420,691.57, which included paving and fall cleanup costs.
The Council will next meet at 7 p.m. Dec. 8 at Town Hall.
