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Logansport planning staff advance "On the Banks" riverfront plan and recommend rezoning to enable boutique hotel, mixed‑use development
Summary
Planning staff presented a comprehensive plan for the riverfront ("On the Banks") and proposed rezoning and future‑land‑use changes to match the plan; staff said a boutique hotel is close to committing and that rezoning to a downtown B‑2 district would permit the mixed‑use, retail and hotel uses shown in the plan.
City planning staff told the planning and economic development committee they want to adopt a comprehensive “On the Banks” plan to guide redevelopment of Logansport’s riverfront and surrounding parcels. Staff said the plan is a nonbinding guide that would help the city coordinate zoning, future‑land‑use mapping and incentives when developers express interest.
Planner Aaron (last name not provided in transcript) walked committee members through four planning areas along the river: an arts/parking area on the former coal plant footprint, townhouse and residential infill beside existing residential parcels, an extension of downtown mixed‑use with residential above retail along Sixth Street, and a smaller residential/retail block near the event center that staff said could host a boutique hotel. Aaron said the plan considers existing site constraints such as fill and subsurface conditions where a generating plant once sat; in places the soil and infill will limit residential development and is therefore better suited for parking or public‑space uses.
Staff proposed changing zoning in parts of the riverfront from high‑density residential or professional residential to B‑2 (downtown/central business) to match the mixed‑use vision and to change the comprehensive plan’s future‑land‑use map to “mixed use.” Aaron said that while most properties in the area are owned by the city or redevelopment commission, four or five privately owned houses on the eastern strip will be grandfathered: owners could keep, remodel or live in their homes, and they would also have the option to sell into commercial redevelopment if they choose.
On the boutique-hotel item, staff said redevelopment stakeholders are “about 95% locked in” on a hotel location west of the event center and that RDC has presented an incentive package the developer is reviewing; planning staff cautioned that the department cannot disclose binding agreements until formal paperwork is filed. Aaron said the planned rezoning would enable a hotel and other downtown uses without needing a site‑by‑site rezoning each time a developer inquires.
Planning staff recommended adopting the riverfront plan as a resolution, updating the future‑land‑use map to mixed‑use for the affected blocks, and proceeding with a rezone where staff identified the specific parcels that would change to B‑2. Committee members asked technical questions about which parcels are affected, how public hearings and notifications will work and how the city would avoid “spot zoning.” Staff said the rezoning steps and public hearings will follow normal planning timelines; they noted the statutory 90‑day review window for planning matters and recommended moving the items to the next council meeting to preserve time for two readings if council votes to adopt.
No final council ordinance or rezoning vote was recorded in the committee transcript; the committee otherwise supported moving the items forward to the council agenda.
