Louis Dreyfus Company Agriculture Industries is located at 7344 S. SR 15 in Claypool. (File photo by Phil Smith)

KOSCIUSKO — The Kosciusko County Board of Zoning Appeals approved exceptions for both Louis Dreyfus and the Kuhn Lake public access site during the meeting held on Tuesday, April 9.

Louis Dreyfus Company Agriculture Industries, 7344 S. SR 15, Claypool, was approved for an exception for the purpose of a change or alteration to an approved ag processing plant.

The company will be adding two new warehouse buildings, a turbine building, a boiler house and a “white building” in an agricultural district. It was noted that the large warehouse buildings will serve as seasonal storage for around eight months of the year. Because of the expansion, Louis Dreyfus is expecting to add eight additional employees. It was noted by an employee representative of Louis Dreyfus that the expansion was a part of the “natural growth” the business has experienced.

Indiana DNR Fish and Wildlife was approved for the exception to allow for the expansion of an existing public launch by adding additional parking on an adjacent tract of land.

The current Kuhn Lake public access parking lot is located at EMS B6A Lane and currently accommodates 15 to 20 boat trailers at a time. The expansion would allow for almost double the number of boat trailers in the area. This would eliminate the need for people to park on the street, which is what is currently done.

In other news:

• Dana Yoder of 3614 West CR 1050N, Milford, was approved for a variance to allow two residences on a single tract of land. The approval was for a one-year period, the time expected to complete construction on the new residence and demolish the old residence.
• Protech Marina, 12670 N. Bishop Road, Syracuse, was approved for an exception to allow outside storage on a property with an existing airstrip in a public use district. The approval specified that the outdoor storage remains within a restricted area and has no effect on the current runway.
• The petition for a variance made by Judd and Nancy Mason, EMS B31 Lane, Warsaw, was continued and requested to be readvertised. The request was advertised as constructing a residence 10 feet from the right-of-way but the site plans were 5 feet from the right-of-way. The board suggested moving the future residence away from the right-of-way and closer to the channel side of the lot.
• Gregory and Sona Bird, EMS B73 Lane, Warsaw, were approved for a variance that permits the construction of a new residence 25 feet from the water’s edge and five feet to the unopened portion of the right-of-way.
• Lyle and Sandra Gerlach, 5983 East CR 450N, Leesburg, were approved for a variance that allows the construction of a second story residence addition. The addition is within 19 inches of the west side property line.
• Partners in Opportunities, 3790 E. Lake City Highway, Warsaw, was approved for an exception to allow a private school in a commercial district. The business would act as a learning center for adult individuals with developmental disabilities.
• Raven Donovan, 270 EMS T25 Lane, Leesburg, was approved for a variance to permit a shed 2 feet 3 inches from the south access easement.
• Chris and Ardine Parashos, EMS B42F1 Lane, Warsaw, were approved for an exception to allow a 640 square foot garage. The ordinance allows oversized accessory buildings of 576 square feet.
• Levi and Ruthie Schwartz, 8884 W. Hepton Road, Nappanee, were granted a deferment to allow a home-based business without anyone associated with the business living on the property. Per the lease agreement, a residence must be built or the business discontinued by April 10, 2023.