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Planning commission forwards Maple Grove Baby Farms rezone with condition to omit existing multifamily and mobile home sites
Summary
County planners presented REZ‑25‑2/3 for the Maple Grove Baby Farms area; staff said about 38 parcel references reduce to 32 unique parcels, roughly 82% under one acre, and the planning commission voted 6–2 to forward the rezone while recommending multiple existing multifamily properties be excluded.
At an April 10 Monroe County Board of Commissioners work session, planning staff presented REZ‑25‑2/3, a petition to rezone parcels in the Maple Grove Baby Farms area from High Development Residential (HD) to Residential 1 (RES). Planner Sean said the petition covers a cluster of parcels accessed primarily from West Third Street and surrounding local roads.
Planner Sean told commissioners the petition initially listed 38 parcel entries but that duplications reduced the set to 32 distinct parcels. “For reference, about 82% of all of the parcels in the Maple Grove baby farms are less than an acre,” he said.
Planning staff described the neighborhood as a mix of single‑family homes, existing multifamily developments and two mobile home parks. Staff noted that several multifamily developments are preexisting nonconforming to current CDO standards: one multifamily project approved in 2014 contains 43 units, while current HD standards in the County Development Ordinance set an example limit of 30 units on a lot. Staff also said some parcels have existing agreements to tie into City of Bloomington sewer lines, but that sewer has not been extended to surrounding parcels.
Public comments and record: staff reported receiving a mix of letters for and against the rezoning; owners of existing multifamily developments were the primary source of opposition, saying they would be disadvantaged by a downzone that removed HD status.
Planning commission recommendation and staff condition: the Monroe County Planning Commission voted 6–2 to forward the Maple Grove petitions to the Board of Commissioners with a positive recommendation and to adopt the planning staff’s condition excluding specific parcels from the rezone due to their status as preexisting multifamily developments. The properties the commission recommended omitting are 101 South Fairfield Drive; 2542 West Evergreen Drive; 415 North Kimball Drive; 215 North Johnson Avenue; 3205 North Johnson Avenue; 2312 West Beaumont Lane; and 120 South Kimball Drive, among others listed in the packet.
Discussion highlights: commissioners and staff discussed how the downzone would affect nonconforming uses and noted data limitations in parcel and building‑footprint datasets (Beacon GIS). Staff said a detailed nonconformity analysis of setbacks and impervious cover is being prepared with GIS staff and will be provided before the formal hearing. Commissioners also noted mobile home parks are preexisting uses that would not fit standard HD rules without different approvals (for example, a planned unit development).
Next steps: the board discussed scheduling the item for a formal hearing at an upcoming meeting; staff said they expect to provide the additional GIS analysis in time for the hearing.
Ending: planning staff offered to include all correspondence and present the petition formally when the Board sets a hearing date.
