Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission met Wednesday, May 3. Pictured from left are board members Matt Goodnight, Bob Conley and Kevin McSherry. InkFreeNews photo by Phoebe Muthart

By Phoebe Muthart
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — A tax increment finance district for a small portion of Claypool was given a favorable recommendation at the regular meeting of the Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission Wednesday, May 3.
Indiana American Water requested the TIF district for three parcels plus existing water pipes. All three parcels are zoned public use. The property is the site of the town’s water tower.

The acquisition of Claypool’s water system was approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Claypool Town Council will hear the case at 7 p.m. Monday, May 15.

Edd Allen’s petition for an appeal was continued once again. The case has been continued since January. Last month, the board requested a traffic data, which has been completed.

Allen is requesting to amend self-imposed restrictive covenants associated to the rezoning request to originally rezone the property in question to commercial, as amended through previous cases, by allowing modular homes sales and display as shown on the submitted site plan.
The property is located on the west side of SR 13, south of CR 400 North in Tippecanoe Township.

“The traffic study was not exactly favorable,” said Allen’s attorney, Steve Snyder.

“There are certain concerns,” added Mike Kissinger, an APC board member.

The traffic engineer did state that visibility to the north is impaired for drivers due to a stop sign and a hill.

The case was continued until Wednesday, June 7, in order to review the recent traffic study.

Thomas Hardy’s petition was approved. Hardy is seeking 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 and is a two-lot subdivision.
Blake Palmer’s petition to rezone ground from a commercial district to a residential district was granted a favorable recommendation.

The property is located on the south side of Main Street, west of Harrison Street in Atwood in Harrison Township.

Palmer’s property consists of three platted lots. The property is a former cafe. Palmer wants it to become a house. A realtor that Palmer is working with suggested it be rezoned. She shared some statistics regarding the housing market, noting there is “a need for housing.”

“I want to make the property better and more marketable,” Palmer said. “I put a new roof on it two years ago.”

Palmer has also filed for a variance, which the Board of Zoning Appeals will hear next week.

The county commissioners will hear the case at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 23.

David Miller’s petition to rezone ground from a residential district to an agricultural district near Silver Lake was given a favorable recommendation by the board. The property is located on the south side of Sycamore, just east of Jefferson Street in Lake Township.

A letter from the town stated there was no issue with Miller’s request. Miller purchased the property in December. He wants to build a garage but was told he could not yet due to a zoning issue. The county commissioners will hear the case at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, May 23.

A final plat for Summer Breeze, near Oswego, was approved. A house is going to be constructed on one lot.

The next meeting is 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 7, at the county courthouse, Warsaw.