Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Schererville staff outlines one-lot subdivision for proposed Anna Street fire station; variances, waivers expected
Summary
Town staff presented a study-session plan to combine five parcels into a single lot for a future Anna Street fire station. Officials outlined likely variance requests for setbacks and stormwater waivers; building size and costs remain under design and will be revisited at a future meeting.
Town of Schererville staff presented a study-session overview Oct. 6 of a proposal to combine five irregular parcels on Anna Street into a single lot subdivision intended for a future fire station. No formal action was taken; staff and commissioners said rezoning and a full subdivision review will return to a later meeting.
James M. Gorman, town manager, described the proposal as a one-lot subdivision created from five parcels "for the future fire station," saying two parcels are currently zoned R-2 and three are institutional due to prior church ownership. "So that'll be a rezone that will be coming back for. That won't be for this meeting. We just want the one-lot subdivision," Gorman said.
Staff told the commission the parcel’s irregular shape will require several variances to the board of zoning appeals, including relief from the maximum distance between the right-of-way and the front of the building (the proposal would place the building roughly 280 feet from the listed address on Joliet Street). Gorman said side-yard setbacks are expected to be roughly 15 to 30 feet. "We don't meet those because they have minimums and maximums on them," he said. Stormwater waivers are also likely: staff said detention can be met but certain landscaping and bank-height standards likely cannot because of the site's shape.
Gorman provided preliminary building characteristics: "It's gonna be about 17,000 square feet. It's gonna have 4 bays. It's gonna have ... 7 bedrooms," and said the architect has not finished design work; total project cost was not specified. Commissioners raised questions about the station's need and the fate of the existing Joliet Street station when the new site opens. Gorman said a prior study identified the new location as optimal and that when the new station opens, the Joliet Street station would close.
Commission members asked for additional information ahead of any rezoning or final approvals, including records of recent spending on existing stations and anticipated disposition of the closed facility. No vote was taken; commissioners and staff said the matter will return at a subsequent meeting for formal subdivision and any rezoning requests.
