Clinton County board approves special exception to split 9.89-acre lot for a single-family home

The Clinton County Zoning Appeals Board on Jan. 7 approved a special-exception petition (CC2024-01374, Docket 36-24-SE) to allow a first split of a 9.89-acre lot on North County Road 680 West to be sold for a single-family home.

The board voted 5-0 to approve the request after the county planning staff presented its report and the health department confirmed the site is suitable for a septic system. Chester Bankus, a board member, moved to approve the application "according to the findings of the staff report," and Andy Bailey seconded; all five members present voted yes.

Staff recommended approval in part because the parcel is mostly woodland with a large floodplain and a creek that limit agricultural use and building locations, so the split would not take productive farmland out of production, the report said. Kat, a planning staff member, told the board the petition site is a 9.89-acre first split of a 160.92-acre parent tract in Section 22 of Ross Township and that staff scored the lot 4 points on the county’s point system. Kat said deductions were for lot size (the parcel falls in the 3.01–19.99 acre category) and proximity to two IDEM-permitted confined feeding operations (CFOs).

Nash Smith of the health department told the board the site is "suitable for septic and will require a purge drain outlet." The planning staff noted a soil test report is on file and that a minor subdivision approval from the Area Plan Commission will be required before the new lot can be recorded.

The staff report described the parcel as primarily woodland with some tillable ground along the east, surrounded by farmland and three existing dwellings less than a quarter-mile to the south and southwest. The parcel includes significant floodplain and a creek that divides it; staff said there is "room along the southern half of the petition site for development" but that the floodplain and creek will constrain building locations. Staff also reported that the access road, recorded as unpaved in Beacon, appeared to be chip-and-seal when staff inspected the site and that the road serves nearby farm operations and residences.

Board members who discussed the petition agreed the proposed use — a rural single-family home — is consistent with surrounding development and the Ross Township future land-use plan, which designates much of the area for agricultural use and limited residential development near Edna Mills and State Road 26. Kat told the board the proposal conforms to the comprehensive-plan density guideline cited in the staff report.

The board recorded the motion and vote on the record; after approval Kat reminded the petitioners that the next required step is minor subdivision approval from the Area Plan Commission and that the petitioners will need a land surveyor to prepare the subdivision paperwork. The health department’s requirement for a purge drain outlet will be addressed during the subdivision and septic permitting process.

Votes at a glance: Application CC2024-01374 (Docket 36-24-SE) — Approval to create a first split 9.89-acre lot for a single-family home; motion moved by Chester Bankus, seconded by Andy Bailey; vote — Andy Bailey: yes; Grant Mueller: yes; Stacy Pedigo: yes; Scott Hedzmanberger: yes; Chester Bankus: yes. Minor subdivision approval from the Area Plan Commission is required before lot recording.

The board closed the public-hearing item and discussed schedule items for upcoming meetings, including a town advisory meeting on Jan. 22 at the Rossville Pavilion and the board’s next meeting on Jan. 28.