Developers, city and county work together to spur growth properly

Elizabeth Bailey

May 07, 2008 09:59 pm

— As the city of Greensburg works its way through a timeline of annexations, the Decatur County Area Plan Commission keeps track of details to ensure not only that their needs are met, but also those of the city.
Cooperation was key during Wednesday’s meeting of the APC as Michael Campion of Greensburg LLC and James Gilday of JENBEC Developments came to the board for final plat approval of a planned unit development area.
Seneca Landing is located north of County Road 150 and south of I-74. It is broken into a number of lots, which will be developed in phases. The first phase is made up of apartment homes and will be constructed as three-story buildings with internal sprinklers, Gilday explained. The exception to the three-story rule is the clubhouse complex to serve as an office and maintenance headquarters for the development.
The plans were presented by engineer Drew Barth. He said the utilities were designed according to city standards. Meanwhile, the drainage ordinance of the county will be followed relating to retention ponds and other concerns. The large pond in the development will be constructedwith a 10-foot safety ledge, Barth said, to ensure no one accidentally falls in. Still, Campion said a fence is not out of the
question.
Kathy Reynolds, director of the city’s planning and zoning, questioned why sewer laterals were not included in the plans presented. Barth explained that is not common practice in his experience, but said water pits and laterals would be coordinated with the buildings and the city as needed.
Reynolds and Fire Chief Scott Chasteen shared concern about private streets in the subdivision that ended abruptly. While these cases are limited to parking areas, Campion, Gilday and Barth all noted willingness to work with Chasteen to ensure emergency
rescues are facilitated.
Apparently believing in the cooperative spirit of those involved, the board approved the plans.
Jim Ponsler also put his plans at the mercy of the APC Wednesday when he asked to rezone an acre of his property near 3852 W. County Road 1100 S. to be used as an automotive repair shop.He intends to construct a 40 foot by 60 foot pole barn style building to repair machinery from automobiles to schoolbusses and grain trucks.
“No better than prices are, people will be needing to keep their equipment longer, and I want to be there to maintain it,” he said.
Ponsler pointed out the land had previously been home to grain bins, which had been surrounded by gravel. Now, he said, the soil is
littered with rocks, making it difficult to farm. He also clarified there would be no storage of salvage vehicles for parts. Inventory, he said, would consist mostly of commonly used items for general repairs. His petition was unanimously approved.
Kathy Ramplee came to the board to ask about the possibility of allowing travel trailers in mobile home parks. She said she has received many requests recently from people looking to relocate in the area who need a temporary place to stay as well as workers at Honda who would like a temporary place to stay during the building project.
These, she said, would not be pop-up tents on trailers but rather 35-40 foot luxury models. Still, the ordinance states travel trailers are not acceptable in mobile home parks. Their use is limited to agricultural ground or campground areas. Attorney Melissa Scholl pointed out the
importance of maintaining distinct lines when it comes to enforcing ordinances.
“If you create a gray area, you run the risk of rendering your ordinances unenforceable,” she said.
While president Brian Keith was open to the idea of creating a one-year special exception, he pointed out the process would take from four to six months. Board member Albert Armand said it would be preferable to simply rezone a segment of a mobile home park as a campground in order to allow for that use. This, however, was not an acceptable route for Ramplee, who is not looking to run a campground.

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