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East Johnson Bay, Lake Wawasee, will be the site of a new planned unit development.
Tuesday, the Kosciusko County Board of Zoning Appeals approved Kingfisher Properties' petition for an exception for a PUD in a residential district. The property is on the north side of Smith Drive and zero feet north of Forest Drive in Turkey Creek Township. Approximately a dozen remonstrators left the meeting grumbling about the decision.
Attorney Steve Snyder, representing Kingfisher Properties, said the PUD will be on five acres. There will be 19 residential condominiums in three buildings, approximately 26 parking spaces, 19 storage condominiums and boat slips for just the condominium owners.
The location of the condominiums is partly on the site of a former marina. But that will be eliminated, as will the public boat launch and gasoline storage. "There will be no commercial enterprise at all," said Snyder.
Building one will be on the south side of Smith Road and will have five units. The closest point of the building to the lake is about 10.33 feet. Building two is on the north side and, like building one, is 20 feet from the road right of way. Building three has eight units and a pool and is at the top of the hill.
The entire PUD will be on a community water system and the units will be connected to sanitary sewer that already exists, said Snyder. The petitioners are seeking permits for seawalls from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers. The seawalls will be bio-engineered. No seawall will be placed adjacent to the wetlands to the north of the property, Snyder said.
He said there is no space for more than the planned 19 units, the garages and the parking spaces. Density is approximately 12,000 square feet per unit. A condominium owners' association will be established and will be responsible for the maintenance and care of the common areas.
Snyder said the developers look at the project as one that will improve everyone's view of the lake, decrease lake traffic and improve property values.
There were three letters of remonstration on file, according to area plan director Dan Richard.
Remonstrators before the zoning board said they opposed the PUD because it would create an increase of traffic on the lake.
"Is it progress or is it overdevelopment?" asked Pat Tunny.
Other remonstrators said the condominiums are closing everyone in and the more they are enclosed, the less they can enjoy the lake.
Arlene Stanley said, "It's just way too many units."
Snyder refuted the remonstrators' claims of the increased traffic and said, "This is called orderly development of this area."
BZA member Ron Sharp said, "I think it's a good use" of the land. He made a motion to approve the PUD as presented and BZA member Vic Virgil seconded the motion. It was approved unanimously.
