Plan Commission approves re-subdivision creating Auburn Wood Phase 3 to allow two duplexes and one single-family home

The Merrillville Plan Commission approved Oct. 25 a re-subdivision petition by Powerhouse Construction and Development LLC to reconfigure three lots into a recorded subdivision known as Auburn Wood Phase 3 in R-3 residential zoning.

Stuart Allen of Taringa Surveying and property owner Donna Payne Miller presented the request. The re-subdivision reconfigures three lots to accommodate one single-family home and two duplexes; one duplex is already under construction. The petitioners said the proposed lot lines are designed to meet today’s zoning standards and that sanitary sewer service is already available for the site.

Commission members asked procedural questions and confirmed the application had been advertised and neighbors notified. A nearby resident asked about certified-letter notice she received; the petitioner responded that notices are sent to properties within the required radius. Commissioners discussed lot frontage and zoning standards and were told the reconfiguration takes a small amount of frontage from an adjacent duplex lot to make the single-family lot conform to R-2/R-3 frontage standards.

A commission member moved to approve the re-subdivision and a second was recorded; the commission took a roll-call vote and approved the reconfiguration. The petitioner indicated planned construction in 2027 and that one duplex lot had previously been approved and developed under an earlier plat recorded in 2006.

Town staff and the commission indicated standard engineering checks and permitting will follow the plat recording.