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Area Plan Commission recommends rezoning for salvage yard at 3001 W. National Drive with floodway conditions
Summary
The Area Plan Commission gave a favorable recommendation to rezone 3001 West National Drive from residential to heavy industrial for use as a salvage yard, subject to conditions addressing floodplain permits, tank elevation and anchoring, site hard surfacing, screening and required state permits.
The Area Plan Commission recommended rezoning 3001 West National Drive from RS (single-family suburban) to M-2 (heavy industrial) for use as a salvage yard, conditionally approving the request and listing state and local permits the owner must secure.
The recommendation matters because the property lies partly in a regulatory floodway and the planned salvage operation was started without prior permits, prompting state and local officials to require measures intended to limit environmental and public-safety risks.
Commission staff said the property is located in both AE floodplain and regulatory floodway and that Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) approval is required before any work in the floodway. The staff report said any waste storage or fuel tanks must be located in the AE fringe, elevated and anchored, and that no vehicle may remain in the regulatory floodway for more than 30 days per IDNR stipulations. The report cited Indiana Code 14-28-1 and IDNR permitting requirements as conditions for any local approvals.
A company representative speaking for Left Lane Transportation LLC said the owner plans to elevate and anchor tanks to base flood elevation plus two feet, to construct a concrete containment pad in the future, and to drain fluids from incoming vehicles within seven days. The representative said most semi trailers currently on site are expected to be sold and removed and that the owner will continue on-site cleanup.
Commissioners discussed additional requirements included in the favorable recommendation: obtaining IDNR permits for excavation or construction in the floodway, any required permits from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and Vigo County Engineering, submission of a site plan showing hard-surfaced parking (or a variance request to the County Board of Zoning Appeals), a landscape/buffer and screening plan, and compliance with IDNR development standards for special flood hazard areas. Staff also recommended vacating platted rights-of-way that bisect portions of the property because those platting impediments limit future development options.
During the discussion a staff member reported that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had inspected the site twice and did not find contaminants in soil samples, and that a Vigo County Conservation District staffer tested creek water after rain events and did not find contaminants. Those comments were offered by staff and the property representative; the commission did not treat the EPA or conservation district results as formal approvals of the operation.
The commission voted to offer a favorable recommendation to the county commissioners, with the stated conditions. No opposing votes were recorded in the meeting minutes.
The recommendation is advisory; the rezoning and any local permits remain subject to review and final action by the appropriate permitting authorities, IDNR approvals for floodway activity, and any variances that may be required by the County Board of Zoning Appeals.
The commission closed the item after the favorable recommendation and moved on to other agenda business.
