The Valparaiso Board of Works recommended that the City Council consider vacating the alley in Block Floor 42 between 254 and 256 Erie Street, following a Planning Commission recommendation.

Planning Commission attorney/staff member Mister Thompson told the board the petition to vacate was filed by Lee Lane on July 3 and that the Planning Commission held a public hearing on July 22. Thompson said the Planning Commission voted 7-0 to recommend vacating the alley and that, under state statute and the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), the Board of Works must forward its recommendation to the City Council, which will act by ordinance.

Thompson described title and record research: a 1941 survey indicated an earlier surveyor assumed the alley had been vacated decades earlier; city and county records show no formal alley vacation on record. Thompson said the alley width at the location is 16.5 feet, adjacent parcels encroach about a foot and a half in places, and two service lines (gas and water) run to 256 within the alley. He said the typical vacation procedure would allocate 8 feet, 3 inches to each adjoining parcel in this case.

Board action: the Board of Works moved, seconded and voted in favor of recommending the alley vacation to City Council; the motion passed. The board noted the process requires a later City Council ordinance to complete the vacation. The board did not take final property ownership action; it forwarded its recommendation to council as required by statute and the city UDO.

Next steps: City Council will hold the required public hearing and either approve an ordinance vacating the alley or reject the petition. The city will also confirm utility locations and any title adjustments as part of the council process.