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Board approves reduced parking for Skij Enterprises multifamily project despite staff concerns about transit and road access
Summary
The Area Board approved a variance lowering required parking for a planned multifamily development on County Road 250 North; staff argued the site is premature for dense multifamily development because of narrow roads and limited transit and recommended denial, but the board approved the variance 5–1.
The Tippecanoe County Area Board of Zoning Appeals on March 26 approved a variance allowing Skij Enterprises to reduce required parking for a multifamily project on County Road 250 North in Wabash Township.
APC staff recommended denial, telling the board the site is a greenfield, located on a narrow county road without shoulders or sidewalks and with limited transit. "To have a dense multifamily development out in this fringe area is just irresponsible in the staff's opinion," Ryan (APC staff) said in the staff report.
Petitioner representative Chris Shelman told the board the multifamily parcel is part of a larger development and that 60% of the units will be studios and one-bedrooms; he said the developer is coordinating with City Bus and the county highway on transit and road improvements and plans a bus stop near the clubhouse. Board members questioned parking calculations and the unit/bed counts; the petitioner clarified the project includes 288 units and 426 beds.
The requested variance would reduce the required minimum from 576 spaces to 468 spaces on a 9.994-acre, R-3 zoned site. The board voted 5–1 in favor; ballots cast were 6, with five yes and one no. APC staff recommended denial, citing concerns about pedestrian safety and lack of transit and shoulders on County Road 250 North.
Why it matters: staff emphasized that the rural character and limited road infrastructure surrounding the site increase the risk of unprotected pedestrians and bicyclists traveling to transit or nearby destinations. Petitioner and their engineers said conversations with the county highway department and City Bus are underway and that the project anticipates future road widening and transit service to support the development.
Board direction: the hearing included discussion of possible conditions and of the county and city’s future involvement in road cross-sections and sidewalks; the petitioner said the development would preserve green space and that the parking ratio reflects unit mix (many studios and one-bed units).
Votes at a glance: BZA 2182 — multifamily parking variance: 6 ballots cast; 5 in favor, 1 opposed. Outcome: approved.
