Area plan commission recommends rezoning corner lot in Kirkland to expand downtown retail

The Clinton County Area Plan Commission on June 17 voted to favorably certify a rezoning application for property at the northwest corner of North Main Street and Jefferson Street in Kirkland, recommending the Kirkland Town Board approve rezoning the parcel from Medium Density Residential to B-2 Central Business.

The recommendation matters because the change would permit retail storefronts, including a new liquor store the petitioner already operates in Kirkland, and because the lot is the only corner in that intersection still zoned residential. Staff said rezoning would expand the existing downtown footprint and is consistent with surrounding central business zoning on three corners of the intersection.

Planner Liz Stitzel told the commission the parcel consists of two platted lots that are in common ownership and that staff’s five-factor review found commercial use reasonable given traffic, location on intersecting state roads and limited availability of vacant downtown commercial space. Stitzel recommended the commission forward a favorable certification to the Kirkland Town Board with conditions to ensure new development matches the character and traffic safety needs of the downtown.

At the hearing, broker Albert Stankato clarified parcel numbers and ownership; he described the site as a single parent parcel with platted Lots 67 and 68, plus a third tax parcel resulting from a prior irregular split that is now in common ownership. Commissioners and members of the public raised concerns about traffic and building placement adjacent to a fire station and discussed the role of the Indiana Department of Transportation in permitting curb cuts on State Road 421.

To address those concerns, staff proposed — and the commission included in its recommendation — three commitments for the town board:

1) Development must be compatible with Kirkland’s existing downtown, including streetscape and sidewalks on both frontages; 2) The parcel will be subject to a development-plan review process with a hearing before the area plan commission to verify that the design meets the Unified Development Ordinance requirements and is aesthetically and functionally compatible with Kirkland’s downtown to the satisfaction of the Kirkland Town Board and the area plan commission; and 3) All new structures must sit at or behind the average setback of adjacent buildings.

Stitzel noted that the downtown district typically allows zero lot-line construction and does not require off-street parking; she recommended limiting on-site parking and curb cuts near the intersection because of crash history and fire apparatus movements. She said INDOT (Indiana Department of Transportation) will determine allowable curb-cut locations and that developers should consult INDOT early in site planning.

The commission moved, seconded and voted in favor of forwarding the rezoning to the Kirkland Town Board with the three commitments. Roll call recorded Jordan Brewer, Dan Sheets, Walt Minnick, Jeff Chenoweth and Chad Colby voting yes. The recommendation will be presented to the Kirkland Town Board later this month; staff said APC will provide signed commitment documents to be recorded if the town approves the rezoning.

The town board may accept, modify or add to the commitments; if the town changes them, the planning staff said the commission could ask the town to table the matter so the APC can update its recommendation.