Indian Cultural Center granted variances for expansion; sidewalk requirement waived

The Monroe County Board of Zoning Appeals approved two design‑standard variances for the Bloomington Indian Cultural Center (VAR‑25‑5A and VAR‑25‑5B) to permit a 4,800‑square‑foot expansion and to waive the sidewalk installation requirement along West State Road 45.

Planning staff presented the petition and explained the property is a permitted religious facility in the RES (Residential 1) zone but that the expansion triggers commercial site‑plan review and the ordinance’s impervious‑cover and sidewalk provisions. Staff noted the site already contains significant impervious area and that the proposed addition overlays an area currently used as a play area with gravel; an additional modest sidewalk from a rear door would add roughly 650 square feet to the impervious total.

Attorney Bill Rigert, representing the cultural center, said the existing play area is partly gravel/sand and that the proposed addition would not dramatically increase impervious cover beyond the current developed footprint. Rigert asked the board to approve the expansion and the sidewalk waiver; he also noted the petitioner would accept a modest allowance to accommodate a short sidewalk connection if required.

Board members discussed the Urban Area Boundary map and staff’s analysis showing no immediate plan to extend sidewalks or greenway corridors on that segment of State Road 45; the nearest existing sidewalk is about 4,100 feet to the northeast. Given the isolated rural character of that stretch of state road, staff recommended approval. The board voted to approve both variances; members agreed to a practical allowance (the board noted an approximate total impervious allowance of up to about 5,500 square feet to account for the building addition and a modest sidewalk if necessary).

The petitioner must follow up with a commercial site‑plan filing and any additional permits required by stormwater or highway authorities prior to construction.