Board approves contractor storage site and narrower buffer in Ross Township

The Clinton County Board of Zoning Appeals on July 26 approved a special exception and a variance to allow Superior Capital Investments to build a contractor’s storage and office building on a proposed 2.7-acre lot to be split from a 53.756-acre parent tract in Ross Township. Staff described the request as a contractor’s business (Use 9.36) in the A-1 agricultural district and said the proposed pole-barn structure would store equipment and include limited office space. The site will sit along 700 North between State Route 39 and 500 West. Staff recommended approval of the special exception with standard conditions including no outdoor accumulation of junk or debris and a required minor subdivision before construction permits are issued. The petitioner, Steven Thompson of Superior Home Services and Superior Capital Investments LLC, told the board the company “operate[s] a very clean, organized business” and had no further comments at the hearing. A separate variance request sought permission to replace the ordinance’s typical 15-foot buffer that would include a fence and shrubs with a continuous planting of evergreens. Staff said the petitioner proposed well over the minimum number of trees required and that the denser evergreen planting would provide continuous screening that “may take a moment to grow up” but would likely be more attractive and easier to maintain than a six-foot fence. Staff recommended approval of the variance on the condition that the evergreens be installed and maintained and that the requirement run with the land. Board members moved and seconded the motions incorporating the findings and conditions in the staff reports. The motions passed on roll call votes with all members present voting yes. Why it matters: The approvals allow a nonfarm business use to locate in a predominantly agricultural area but bind the use to explicit conditions (screening, no outdoor storage, and completion of a minor subdivision) intended to limit impacts on farming neighbors and preserve the rural character of the frontage. The approvals also replace a required hard barrier with live plantings, shifting long‑term maintenance obligations to future owners if the condition is not met. Key details and next steps: The special exception approval is tied to the plan submitted and applies only to the proposed 2.7-acre lot; the remainder of the parent tract remains in agricultural use unless separately rezoned. Before construction can begin the applicant must: complete the county minor‑subdivision process to split the 2.7-acre lot, secure all applicable state permitting including a state design release as required for uses with employees, and satisfy health‑department permitting for a commercial septic system. For the variance, the board’s approval includes a condition that the evergreen screening be installed and maintained as proposed; staff noted that approvals run with the land and future owners would be bound by that condition. Quotes (from hearing): “We operate a very clean, organized business,” petitioner Steven Thompson said of his existing operations. Staff emphasized that the special exception, if approved, “is bound to the plan that they submit” and that approval cannot be expanded to the larger parent tract without further zoning review. Outcome and vote: Motion to approve special exception application CCDASH2025-00557 (docket 16-25-SE) per staff findings with conditions — mover: Chester Banks; second: Grant Mueller; vote: unanimous yes. Motion to approve variance application CCDASH2025-00570 (docket 18-25-VA) per staff findings with conditions requiring installation and maintenance of the evergreen buffer — mover: Chester Banks; second: Grant Mueller; vote: unanimous yes. Community note: Staff recorded one emailed objection that appeared to be based on a misunderstanding that the entire 53‑acre parcel would be converted to commercial use; staff clarified the board was considering only the proposed 2.7‑acre lot and that any larger change would require separate approvals.