[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6309111,"mediaKeyId","2414466-19456f1fb62e7b0f6ca0337c6c16c9ed","parentId",2414466,"title","Michigan City planners review proposed consolidated stormwater ordinance, plan to return for formal approval","audioSeconds",593,"startMs",960000,"endMs",1553000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2414466-19456f1fb62e7b0f6ca0337c6c16c9ed&start=960&end=1553","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2414466-19456f1fb62e7b0f6ca0337c6c16c9ed/thumbnail_960000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6309111/Michigan-City/LaPorte-County/Indiana/Michigan-City-planners-review-proposed-consolidated-stormwater-ordinance-plan-to-return-for-formal-approval","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6309111-64c8900f9cc6c2704c01c1a02ddd78c9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771172600&Signature=bbOkeypZ1ihvB0U2xA1DWNwKzdrWg7OmSVcEMg1mCJQlcOHWA9tOALDOpJBbkFikChL3uyiD2O4UzuoRZphp~OKFrekoF~bBsI27Jxfl5gldVTnS60ZV0~GUuzvBFj3n~Ku98~bwhQJ8sWSP5LqdBXX36Hp4xhxmi87q4mPYjLAdBBUutbe6k5TEb9G8Qp-8SFA838O8r5Un-kP--jiyc2ZHOLFU4iacslwHF04MUFrx7KY-jfV9PS1v0Iq69J6k6tPvbCxMB5eNMlfnGoHg3C~Exemc1LDReS9XrT4h62ksKF4arPkB8cIeFpOpUmAiOSa1LMm-iKVvUnfPYXlx-Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Michigan City, IN","date","2025-02-27T05:08:45.87Z","article","City staff and the Sanitary District presented a draft, consolidated stormwater ordinance and companion technical standards at the Michigan City Plan Commission meeting on Feb. 25, describing plans to move stormwater rules into a single chapter (proposed Chapter 46, Article 9) and to adopt updated state-model engineering guidance.

Raul Wallace, the Sanitary District’s stormwater coordinator, told commissioners the draft follows the 2022 model ordinance and technical standards prepared through Purdue University’s Local Technical Assistance Program and that communities statewide must update local ordinances to meet requirements tied to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) construction storm rule/general permit. Wallace said the sanitary district approved the ordinance and technical standards on Jan. 23, 2025; staff expect to return to the plan commission in March with revised cross-references and then to present the ordinance to City Council for the standard reading process.

Why it matters: the proposed changes consolidate stormwater requirements dispersed through the municipal code into one place, add detailed technical standards for design and maintenance, and introduce basin base-and-maintenance agreements intended to ensure long-term upkeep. Wallace emphasized the ordinance seeks to address not only large storms but smaller (1–2 year) storms that cause repeated ditch erosion and sedimentation, problems that can degrade basin storage capacity over time and harm Trail Creek and ultimately Lake Michigan.

Key technical and process points discussed:
- Model guidance and peer review: Wallace said Purdue’s model and the associated technical standards were prepared with input from IDEM, county surveyors and MS4 coordinators; cities in the region (for example La Porte) are adopting similar standards to create consistency for engineers and developers.
- Consolidation into Chapter 46, Article 9: staff and the plan commission attorney will remove existing stormwater language from other code sections (appendices B and C) and replace those references with the new Article 9 to make requirements easier to find.
- Basin maintenance and enforcement: the draft ordinance includes a requirement for basin base-and-maintenance agreements to clarify long-term responsibility, a response to instances where basins have become sediment-filled or overgrown. Wallace and staff discussed tools such as drone surveys to measure lost storage volume and noted sedimentation as the principal maintenance concern; invasive vegetation (phragmites) complicates vegetation management.
- Retrofits and older basins: staff said when redevelopment occurs, basins may need recalculation to meet current runoff volumes; examples cited included commercial properties whose basins had become unusable and require clearing or retrofitting.

Public comment: Scott Melland, a resident at 200 Kenwood Place, spoke in support of streamlining and asked whether the ordinance allows green infrastructure such as swales and rain gardens; staff indicated the model provides options for modern green stormwater practices. Melland also urged the commission and city to seek administrative efficiencies to reduce developer delays.

Administrative notes and next steps: Wallace and planning staff said they will return in March after cleaning up cross-references in the subdivision and zoning appendices, then take the ordinance to the City Council for three readings and a likely council workshop. No formal vote was taken by the plan commission on the ordinance at this meeting.

Also at the meeting the commission and staff introduced Wendy Bashey as the city’s new public works director; Bashey summarized her background in planning and infrastructure and said she will work with planning and engineering to streamline permitting and processes.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Michigan City Planning Commission February 25, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Sanitary District stormwater coordinator Raul Wallace and city staff presented a proposed consolidated stormwater ordinance and companion technical standards based on Purdue model guidance; the sanitary district already approved the ordinance and the plan commission will consider it formally in March before city council readings.","taxTitle","Michigan City, LaPorte County, Indiana","taxId",12510,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":44,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6309116,"Michigan City plan commission approves secondary plat for Moore PUD, moves forward with 16-unit first phase",765,195000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2414466-19456f1fb62e7b0f6ca0337c6c16c9ed&start=195&end=960","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2414466-19456f1fb62e7b0f6ca0337c6c16c9ed/thumbnail_195000.jpg","/articles/6309116/Michigan-City/LaPorte-County/Indiana/Michigan-City-plan-commission-approves-secondary-plat-for-Moore-PUD-moves-forward-with-16-unit-first-phase","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6309116-7a02dac12f211572bdd935dd9a1a8905/orig.mp4?Expires=1771172600&Signature=l5x19-kefXWnmlA6rPKiSwsB-Q8GxENGUdvzCtk4RXlWyifx8~HMBLarR8HqnogUGCYTQq4FYqLRh1uay3YYPDc3dwDZKTUzYVlel4zjd0F0UuCuLiMzlDF2Wja9A7AoK2c7-dYBXrn3BNMJAYabT53yZnne1iMipbFIr99dRi~FLUdua5fzqewjmOeLUQBz3BH-Ciurdaqdk22fhj86i8gYb3Ezv10KRmcP3hb3OKj7QqHl6gsp4l-Ynb5UMSHZwouNJHQUSHtvzOz9PehsWfL8VgETR7bY7H31rvDHudhHvFpeR7HaINQdN2OrrgdWXf4BWTCkvJn6q9qK6qjF6g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Michigan City Plan Commission approved a secondary-plat (final plat) for Track 1 of the Moore Planned Unit Development on Feb. 25, authorizing Pyramid Properties to proceed with the first phase of a planned 40-unit residential project at Moore Road and U.S. 12.

The commission’s vote followed a staff report that all conditions attached to the PUD and primary plat were satisfied, including an updated basin design, a recorded conservation easement and a basin maintenance agreement. Attorney Anthony Novak represented Pyramid Properties; owner Tony McCrete attended. City planning staff recommended approval.

Why it matters: the decision converts the previously approved primary plat into a recordable secondary plat for Track 1, allowing site work and permitting for the initial units to proceed. The project is intended to add housing stock at a location the commission and petitioner said the city needs.

Pyramid Properties and its attorney reminded the commission that the Moore project previously received primary-plat approval on Oct. 22, 2024, City Council approval on Dec. 3, 2024, and final PUD approval Jan. 28, 2025. The petition this evening, identified in the record as Petition No. 903-24(4), sought final-plat approval for Track 1, the first of two phases. Novak and city staff said Track 1 stormwater design had been reviewed and approved by city engineering; Track 2 stormwater will be reviewed with that later phase.

City planner Skyler York read department comments into the record: the water, fire and sanitation departments reported no outstanding issues for Track 1; the city engineer’s comments had been addressed. York told commissioners the conservation easement requirement had been fulfilled and the basin maintenance agreement had been completed and added to the development commitments.

During the meeting commissioners voiced support for advancing the project and noted local demand for housing. After a motion to approve the secondary plat (motion and second recorded in the minutes without named mover/second), the roll-call vote recorded the following yes votes: Mister Connolly; Mister Dabney; Mister Demeticki; Mister Grankquist; Mister Hoffman; Mister Clender; Miss Tietta; Mister Warner. The motion carried and the commission approved the secondary plat for Phase 1.

Next steps: with plan commission approval recorded, the petitioner may record the secondary plat for Track 1 and begin the permitting and construction steps for the 16 units in Phase 1, subject to applicable city permits and inspections.

Votes at a glance: Petition No. 903-24(4) — Moore PUD, Pyramid Properties — Secondary plat (Track 1) for Phase 1 (16 units of a 40-unit PUD). Outcome: approved (roll-call: Connolly, Dabney, Demeticki, Grankquist, Hoffman, Clender, Tietta, Warner — all recorded as yes). Motion/second not specified in the minutes.

","The Michigan City Plan Commission on Feb. 25 approved a secondary plat for Track 1 of the Moore planned unit development, clearing the way for a 16-unit first phase after staff and department conditions were met.","actionData","errors"]

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Michigan City planners review proposed consolidated stormwater ordinance, plan to return for formal approval

Michigan City plan commission approves secondary plat for Moore PUD, moves forward with 16-unit first phase