Dear Editor,

On July 11, the Elkhart County Planning Commission sent a rezoning request to the Elkhart County Board of Commissioners, recommending its approval at the upcoming Aug. 15 meeting. The proposal was put forward by Northern Lakes Investment Corporation to rezone a 14-acre site just south of US 6 on CR 21 to allow for the construction of a large trailer transfer yard. 

The yard would have its entrance on County Road 21 which is an unimproved dirt road in the unincorporated area of the county in question. It would extend to the border of the Horizon Estates subdivision to the west. 

Area homeowners are uniting in opposition to the proposal, with their organization being spearheaded by AFBEC, the Alliance For a Better Elkhart County. AFBEC has undertaken community-wide direct mailings, launched a website and podcast, erected signs, and is hosting a petition and opposition rally on August 5 at 7 p.m. at the Milford Community Building. 

AFBEC plans to present a petition directly to the County Commissioners opposing the proposal at the public hearing prior to the vote. 

We are in no way anti-business, but this is a proposal to place a heavy industrial transport operation in the backyards of well over 100 Elkhart County homes in an area that is zoned A-1. Besides the extremely serious safety issues which the placement of the proposed trailer marshaling yard presents, and I reference our website for detailed information on that and other issues, industrial developments of this nature destroy property values and salability. Such activities are necessary to Elkhart County, but heavy industrial uses belong in industrial areas where established infrastructure exists to support them.

The entire proposal is incredibly ill-conceived and inappropriate, but the Elkhart County Planning Commission turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to our valid objections and did not require any answers to them from NLIC’s spokesperson. To add insult to our injury, we adamantly oppose being fenced in, much like a prison yard, with industrial chain link and razor wire. We are left with no alternative but to stand in vigorous organized opposition.

James Otis
Milford