Elizabeth Bailey
Greensburg Daily News
Greensburg —
The Decatur County Area Plan Commission did not have a petition come to a vote during their regular monthly meeting, Wednesday, after one petition was withdrawn and the other was tabled.
Dennis Kinker came before the board to rezone five acres out of 71.68 acres for the construction of a home for his son. The property is located at 20 S. County Road 850 East in Salt Creek Township. Kinker explained that there is a vacant house on his property that his father lived in. The home was built in about 1880, he said, and has no septic system or electricity, making it unsuitable for habitation. Board member Jay Hatton asked Area Plan Director Dave Neuman how many times the tract of land had been divided. Neuman said the requested division would be the third. Board member Andy Scholle noted that a third division would redefine the property as a major subdivision, requiring the installation of a private on-site sanitary sewage treatment plant.
The board said that if a home were constructed in place of the old, no rezoning would be necessary and it would not become a major subdivision. Board president Albert Armand asked Neuman if the old house could be called a barn, and Neuman said that if all plumbing and electrical connections are removed, the building can be considered storage pending inspection. Armand told Kinker that if the building is turned into storage, a new home can be constructed in its place.
"You avoid all the hassle that'll come with a major subdivision," he said.
Kinker withdrew his petition in order to take the recommended course of action.
The next petition to come before the board was for Mastermind Alliance, LLC, represented by Richard Feldman and otherwise known as Classic Auto Sales. Feldman requested to subdivide one acre out of five for rezoning to become a car sales lot. The business is located just northeast of 1528A N. Carver Street, Greensburg, in Washington Township, at the northeast corner of the intersection of Carver Street and the Bypass. The expansion would reach northeast along the bypass to increase visibility of vehicles for sale at the business, Feldman explained.
Board member Jeff Emsweller asked whether the lot would be gravel or pavement, and Feldman noted that paving would not be something they would do in the near future. Emsweller also inquired about the potential for such a lot to be unsightly for the residential community surrounding the business.
"We don't really carry junk cars, per se," Feldman said, noting he does not anticipate that being a problem.
Emsweller then asked whether there are any plans for handling runoff from high mileage vehicles.
"We have a garage right next door to fix any leaks," Feldman said.
Emsweller inquired as to why this area is not part of the city of Greensburg.
"I think this shouldn't be a county issue," he said.
Feldman shared Emsweller's concern, as the business was recently required to hook onto city water at a cost of $19,000.
"Why isn't it annexed?" Emsweller asked.
Board member and City Council member Bill Wenning noted that there are areas surrounded by the city of Greensburg that are being considered for annexation.
"We know it's in the county, and we don't have a say now," Wenning said, "but I don't know what we want to do with a lot of that property on the bypass. If it was up to me, I'd like to table it for a little while to figure out the annexation situation."
Hatton also voiced concern.
"If we move on this right now," he said. "We're pretty much deciding what's going to happen with that corridor."
Barbara Zavala, who owns a home to the north of the proposed lot without anything to block the view, voiced her objection to the proposal.
"I don't like looking at all that," she said.
She noted that her property value has already decreased in the past few years and voiced concern that this could make the situation worse.
"I don't begrudge you a living. I don't begrudge anyone a living," she said, "but if this car lot is there and I decide to sell my home, what's that going to do?"
She explained that as a single mother of three kids, she has worked hard to make her house something to be proud of and would hate to see development depreciate her hard work.
"I'm just a little guy trying to get a little extra land so I have some more room for my cars," Feldman said.
If it were a bigger project, he said, he assumes privacy fencing or other methods of obstructing the view would be required.
The board was then left to determine whether to vote on the issue or table it pending input from the city. Feldman was also given the option of choosing to table it. Wenning said he could help Feldman get the issue onto the city council's agenda for discussion, likely delaying rezoning by one or two months. Neuman recommended to Feldman that the city be asked for input prior to the vote to offer the best chance of a successful rezoning. Feldman and the board agreed to table the issue until more can be learned from the city.
