Logansport — The Planning Commission on Monday, Sept. 8, discussed possible changes to the city's neighborhood-business zoning to limit higher-intensity commercial uses near residences and to adjust how the city treats shopping centers and retail size.

Planning staff told commissioners the current rules let very different uses locate in similar small pockets across town, and that the city's B3, B4 and PR zoning categories result in large gaps in allowed retail sizes and intensities. "We currently have very interesting retail, versus shopping centers. So this is something that I think would be interesting to focus on," a planning staff member said. "We currently have retail no more than a thousand and then retail up to 200,000. Well, that is a huge gap."

The discussion centered on three policy tools staff identified: (1) rezoning some areas now classified B4 (the most intense commercial district) to B3 or another category; (2) creating overlays that add tighter standards for signage, lighting, landscaping and building placement; or (3) making more uses subject to a special-exception review through the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA). Staff said any rezoning would grandfather existing uses but could require stricter standards for future expansions or new owners.

Why it matters: Commissioners and staff said changes would affect where gas stations, commercial garages, laundromats and larger grocery or shopping-center formats can locate, and how those uses would be conditioned to reduce impacts on nearby homes. Planning staff repeatedly cited the West End as an area where the current mix of residential lots and intense commercial uses has produced recurring neighborhood concerns.

Key details discussed
- Zoning districts: Planning staff described differences among professional-residential (PR), neighborhood-business and the B3/B4 commercial districts. Staff said B4 allows the most intense uses (gas stations, large commercial garages) and that large portions of the West End are zoned B4.
- Retail size thresholds: Staff noted existing thresholds that treat small retail as under 1,000 sq. ft. and larger shopping centers under/over 100,000 sq. ft., calling the gaps impractical. Staff suggested intermediate thresholds (examples discussed included 5,000 sq. ft. and 20,000 sq. ft.) to better match neighborhood-scale markets, though no numeric change was adopted.
- Options for control: Staff outlined three main approaches: rezone to change allowable uses, add an overlay zone to scale signage/lighting/setbacks without changing base zoning for all parcels, or require more special-exception reviews through the BZA so individual proposals can be conditioned on neighborhood context.
- Notification and procedure: Staff said property owners and nearby residents would receive notice for rezoning or variance requests; the office uses certified mail with return receipt for many property notifications.

Commissioner concerns and examples
Commissioners and staff raised repeated practical concerns: how to avoid creating a patchwork of spot rezones; how to prevent intense uses from locating on lot corners that remain viable for developers; and how new businesses can change traffic, lighting and property values. One commissioner warned about unintended overlay consequences: "The last time that I was a part of approving an overlay, I didn't realize that it was going to be bringing in a truck stop, with most of the time way over 10 trucks parked there overnight," Tom Nelson, president of the Planning Commission, said.

Several members urged more community engagement and neighborhood advocates to help set local expectations before changes proceed. Staff suggested commissioners "drive around in the next month" and provide feedback to help staff craft specific options.

Actions and formal outcomes
- Minutes: The commission approved minutes from the June 9 meeting with corrections (the minutes were amended to show Judy present and John Brown absent). The approval was by voice vote; commissioners signaled "aye" and the chair declared the motion approved.
- No zoning decisions: No rezoning, overlay or ordinance amendments were proposed or voted on at the meeting; the session was a preliminary discussion.
- Adjournment: The commission voted to adjourn at the end of the meeting.

What's next
Planning staff will use commissioner feedback to prepare concrete draft options (rezoning maps, overlay language, or changes to use tables and retail-size thresholds) for future consideration. Staff emphasized that any rezoning would include public notice and that individual property owners would be grandfathered in for existing uses but that future expansions could be subject to new standards.

Meeting context
The session was a working discussion rather than a public hearing or legislative action. Commissioners explored trade-offs among predictability for developers, protections for nearby residents and administrative workload if more commercial permits are required to go before the commission or the BZA.

Approved minutes and the meeting record indicate the discussion stemmed from staff's review of neighborhood-business parcels across town and prior conversations about the Marsh Building and other local commercial nodes.

(Reporting by meeting minutes and staff presentation.)