From left Doug Ruch, Mike Kissinger and Lee Harman listen to a case presented to the Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission Wednesday, April 5. Photo by Phoebe Muthart.

By Phoebe Muthart
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — A favorable recommendation for a business in Pierceton was granted at the Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission meeting Wednesday, April 5.

LexLil Contracting’s petition was to rezone 2.41 acres from a residential district to a commercial district. The property is located on the east side of First Street and 126 feet south of Church Street.

The owner, Matthew Stephens, was at the meeting and said he wants to build a pole building. He wants to use the pole building to store inventory and other merchandise. There will be some activity outside, he said, and some equipment will be stored outdoors.

There will be some limitations as only a certain percentage of the property can be used for outside storage; APC Director Matt Sandy said approximately 10,000 square feet can be unscreened.

A neighbor asked if the business will be expanding because she is concerned with viewing outside storage. Stephens said he plans on planting pine trees as a barrier if the plans are approved. APC gave him a favorable recommendation. Pierceton Town Council will hear the case at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 10.

Thomas Hardy’s petition was continued to Wednesday, May 3. He wants preliminary plat approval for an agricultural II subdivision on a 3.27-acre tract of ground. The property is located on the west side of CR 700 East in Jackson Township.

Timothy and Darci Lynn Posthuma’s petition to rezone ground from an agricultural district to an agricultural II district was given a favorable recommendation. The property is located on the north side of CR 300 North, north of CR 175 East in Plain Township. The county commissioners will hear the case at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, April 25.

Michael Jackson’s petition was approved. He was asking for preliminary plat approval for a residential development on a 5.64-acre tract of ground on three lots. The property is located on the east side of Jackson Street in Atwood in Harrison Township. He wants to build a house on the property, possibly in late fall.

A continuance of a case for Edd Allen was heard. He’s petitioning for an appeal requesting to amend self-imposed restrictive covenants associated with the original rezoning request to rezone the property in question to commercial, as amended through previous cases by allowing modular home sales and display as shown on the submitted site plan. The property is located on the west side of SR 13, at the intersection of CR 400 North in Tippecanoe Township. The case was continued again until May 3, in order to complete a traffic study at the intersection.

Also, a favorable recommendation was granted for a proposed use in a public use district. The recommendation is for Joe’s Kids. It has outgrown its space and wants to move to a church on Lake Street in Warsaw. Kosciusko County Board of Zoning Appeals will hear the case next. Since the usage doesn’t fit the criteria, it can be heard as an exception by BZA.

In other news, the board approved three final plats.

The next meeting is at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, at the county courthouse, Warsaw.