There’s one thing for sure about the possible Honda Plant coming to Decatur County: Everyone has an opinion on it one way or another.

Well, no matter where you stand on the economic development project, this week’s County Area Plan Commission (APC) and Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) meetings will give you plenty of food for debate.

The meetings, to be held consecutively at 7 and 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 28, at the Greensburg Community Learning Center, will deal only with topics relating to the international auto manufacturer and its courtship of the county.

David Nueman, area plan director and building commissioner for the county since 1999, moved the meeting from its normal venue in the courthouse to the Learning Center to accommodate more spectators.

“This is the meeting people need to attend if that want to have educated opinions on the project,” he said. “That’s true no matter what side of the fence you’re on. I encourage everyone to come and learn as much as they can about Honda and what impact its arrival will have on the community. We need to take the gossip and guesswork out of this and get down to the facts.”

Representatives from the law firm of Baker and Daniels will first petition the APC to re-zone 1,656 acres from their existing A-1, agriculture only; B-3, small business and I-2, light industrial classifications to I-1 - heavy industrial. They will be asking for permission to rezone land west on Greensburg, next to Vandalia Road and north U.S. 421, in order to construct a manufacturing facility for Honda vehicles. This is the same due diligence Honda has done in Ohio where they are also considering locating.

Much of the local acreage is tillable and that concerns those who wish to keep the county’s agricultural heritage in tact.

“Sometimes, people have to expect we will need to use A-1 tillable ground for the greater good,” Nueman said. “Do the benefits of this facility outweigh taking good ground out of production? There is no question they do.”

During the BZA meeting, Honda’s legal counsel will ask for permission to exceed the county sign-size maximum of 260 feet to place a sign of approximately 1,000 square feet. They will also be asking for a variance to allow the building to be 95 feet high which exceeds the current zoning maximum of 50 feet. Lastly, they will be asking for permission to store petroleum on the site.

While that may be a lot for attendees of the meeting to digest, Nueman thinks it’s all for a good cause.

“This is the biggest request I’ve overseen and the most important I think the county will ever see,” Nueman said. “What this plant, and the extra commerce it creates, will do for this community is even bigger than when the railroad came through in the 1800’s. I also know the individual Boards understand that as well.”

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