Morgan County Planning Commission reelects officers, approves two minor plats

The Morgan County Planning Commission on Jan. 13 reelected its officer slate, reappointed the planning director and approved two minor-plats that developers said will create six new lots on North Kitchen Road and three lots in Brown Township.

The commission’s routine actions came during a planning meeting that included public comment and questions about future rezoning and potential further subdivision of parent parcels.

Commissioners nominated Terry Brock for president, Dustin Bridal for vice president and Jason Maxwell for secretary; the motion carried by voice vote. The commission also reappointed Miss Parker as planning director and approved the meeting minutes after a single correction to an address listed in the prior minutes (Dollar General address should read Martinsville, not Monrovia).

On land-use matters, Holloway Engineering’s John Larson presented two minor-plat petitions. The first, listed in the staff report as a six-lot minor plat (MIP24-10) for property described at 0 North Kitchen Road in Madison Township, was presented as a reduced follow-up to an earlier, larger rezone effort that was denied. Planner comments noted the site lacks sewer service and will require on-site solutions; the plat includes conditions and a required 36-inch skirt wall on the front elevation.

After the public hearing and a brief exchange with staff, a motion to approve MIP24-10 passed on a voice vote (motion noted in the record as MIP24-ten; second recorded as Mr. Rumbaugh). The motion language in the record was to approve the minor plat; the commission approved it without a roll-call tally recorded in the transcript.

The second petition, MIP25-01, was for a three-lot minor plat at 1242 (address in Brown Township) on land the presenter said has been in the Jones family for decades. John Larson told the commission, "The Jones owns the entire 28 parcels, and they are fully aware of the minor plat ordinance and the fact that the parent ... parcels can only be divided in a certain amount of times in total." Ray Carson, a resident who said he lives across State Road 42 from the proposed lots, asked the commission to note that additional nearby acreage may be sold later and possibly developed.

Larson also notified the commission that the applicants plan to seek rezoning to R-1 at a later date to reduce setback requirements (from a 30-foot agricultural setback to a lower R-1 standard). He said the project team expects to return at a future meeting for rezoning because of application deadlines. Kenny Hill moved to approve MIP25-01 for Pamela Jones; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.

Item C on the published agenda was noted as continued; staff and the commission recorded the continuance in the meeting minutes. The meeting closed after adopting the remaining routine items.

Quotes used in this report are drawn from the meeting record. John Larson, representing Holloway Engineering, described the Jones property ownership and future plans; Ray Carson identified himself as a nearby resident and raised concerns about potential further subdivision.

Votes at a glance: approval of officer slate — motion carried by voice vote; reappointment of planning director — motion carried by voice vote; approval of minutes — motion carried; approval of agenda (with item C continued) — motion carried; approval of MIP24-10 (six-lot minor plat, 0 North Kitchen Road, Madison Township) — motion carried (voice); approval of MIP25-01 (three-lot minor plat, 1242, Brown Township) — motion carried (voice).