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Board approves use variance to convert Industrial Parkway building into daycare
Summary
The Board approved a use variance to allow a formerly medical/industrial building at 2020 Industrial Parkway to operate as a licensed daycare; staff placed conditions including building-code renovations, state licensing and an administrative review in two years.
The Elkhart City Board of Zoning Appeals on April 11 approved a use variance (24UV-06) allowing a daycare operator to use a 29,000-square-foot building at 2020 Industrial Parkway as a child-care facility.
Petitioner Trishauna Wright Middleton told the board she plans a licensed childcare operation serving children from infancy to about age 12 and expects to eventually care for roughly 150–200 children with about 100 staff during full operation. City staff said the concrete-block building, built in 1967 and sited on a 3.37-acre parcel, contains many rooms and open spaces that can be adapted for classrooms and indoor play, but that the facility will require renovation under Chapter 34 of the building code and must meet state licensing standards.
Staff noted the site’s existing parking would accommodate approximately 106 spaces and recommended approval with conditions: submission of state-sealed renovation plans, required permits, limiting children to indoors or fenced exterior play areas, cleaning and inspection requirements, submission of a copy of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration childcare license, on-site pickup/drop-off only, and a two-year administrative review scheduled for April 11, 2026. Staff also said the number of children will be set by the state licensing authority (Indiana Code 12-17.2).
Supporters at the hearing emphasized local demand for childcare near industrial employers and the potential for economic support and convenience for area workers. No speakers registered formal opposition during the public-comment period recorded in the transcript.
After a motion to approve the request and adopt staff findings and conditions, the board voted: Davis — Yes; [Montereykov] — Yes; Mulvaney — Yes. The motion passed and the use variance was approved.
The approval is contingent on the petitioner completing required building renovations, obtaining the state childcare license, and securing any city permits; if the daycare ceases operations for more than one year or the license is revoked, the variance becomes null and void.
