Newburgh, Ind. — The Newburgh Planning Commission on Sept. 2 recommended that Town Council adopt an amendment to Chapter 57 (Ordinance 2025) that narrows permitted uses in the town’s C4 commercial district, commissioners and staff said during a lengthy discussion. The commission framed the change as a short-term step while the town prepares a complete rewrite of its zoning and land‑use ordinances in 2026.

Commissioners and staff said the amendment targets a single strip of C4 property the town considers its “front door” and seeks to avoid uses the town believes would be visually or operationally incompatible with that gateway. “We have an opportunity to make sure that what people see as they come into the town … is something that we all would embrace,” Commissioner Bill Bell said during the discussion.

The commission’s recommendation lists several specific uses proposed for removal from the C4 permitted list. Commissioner David Wills and other members proposed deleting cigar bars (item d), dog grooming (item j), dry cleaners (item k), coin‑operated laundries (item m) and locksmiths (item o). Those edits, as compiled by staff, will be forwarded to Town Council as the commission’s recommendation, Planning Director Riley Jones said.

Why it matters: Commissioners said only a small number of parcels remain zoned C4 within the town limits and that the town prefers to steer development on those parcels toward certain retail configurations rather than standalone service operations. Michael Longberg (filling in for Chris Wisher) said he believes three properties are eligible for C4 development and that only one of those parcels has not been developed; the commission and staff characterized those figures as estimates based on existing records rather than definitive counts.

Discussion and dissent: The meeting included disagreement about the level of specificity in permitted‑use lists. Commissioner Jim Reine said he views the categorical approach as overly granular and said during the meeting he intended to abstain on any formal vote because he prefers broader, category‑based language (for example, a general “retail” category) rather than long enumerations of allowed and disallowed uses. Other commissioners argued that the narrower list is a practical short‑term tool to block uses the town does not want while the full code rewrite is completed.

Process and next steps: The commission moved and seconded a recommendation to Town Council adopting the proposed edits. The record does not include a roll‑call tally; Riley Jones told commissioners staff will take the edits to council for review and that the ordinance could be scheduled for a public hearing as soon as October. Jones and Town Manager Chris Cook also reiterated that the commission’s recommendation is not the final step: Council will review the ordinance and hold any required public hearings before adopting changes to Chapter 57.

Context: Commission and staff said the proposed amendment is meant as an interim fix ahead of a comprehensive ordinance modernization project planned for 2026. That larger project will revisit all zoning districts, permitted uses and development procedures.