Dickinson County planning commission approves 15‑acre lot split to create one additional single‑family parcel

The Dickinson County Planning and Zoning Commission voted Aug. 21 to approve subdivision exception SE25‑O‑1, allowing a 15‑acre parent parcel to be split into a 9‑acre lot and a 7‑acre lot for the construction of a single‑family residence.

The split was requested by Justin and Jean Burrello and presented by county planning staff. Planning staff recommended approval with conditions including recording the lot split and covenant provisions with the register of deeds, obtaining a written letter from the county road and bridge program about ingress and egress, and providing a survey certification from Fall Valley to clarify original Thurlow Estates lot lines.

The planning staff summary says the 9‑acre parcel is intended for construction of a single‑family home and the 7‑acre parcel (shown as Tract 2 on the submitted survey) is proposed to be acquired by the adjoining property owner to the west. Staff noted the two resulting parcels meet frontage and lot‑dimension ratio requirements and explained that any further splits of either tract would require approval of a short‑form subdivision plat and possibly rezoning.

Landowner Joe Sperlo spoke at the public hearing. “I’m Joe Sperlo. I am the landowner,” Sperlo said, describing the property as heavily treed and in a valley and saying he had limited agricultural use of the parcel. He told the commission the split would allow residential development aligned with nearby Thurlow Estates and neighboring development to the west.

Commission members and members of the public asked several technical questions about the location of a small parcel used for a volunteer fire station, access from 3500 Avenue and Union Road, and whether a written acknowledgement from road and bridge was on file. Sperlo and staff said a small piece of land near the station had been donated to the Gary County Fire Department in 2018 and that staff would secure written confirmation from road and bridge and a Fall Valley survey certification before final recording.

Staff also reminded the commission and public of appeal and protest procedures: the commission’s recommendation goes to the Dickinson County Commission after applicable notice and an appeal/protest period; a protest petition must meet the 20% threshold of the notified area and applications can be appealed to the county commission after the 14‑day period mentioned during the hearing.

Commissioner Eric moved to approve SE25‑O‑1 with the conditions described by staff; the motion was seconded. The commission voted to approve the subdivision exception; the chair announced the motion passed.

The action authorizes only the lot split described; staff noted the split will separate the small fire‑station parcel from Tract 2 to avoid conflicting uses and that future splits would be subject to additional approvals. The applicant and staff will provide the requested road‑and‑bridge letter and the Fall Valley survey certification before recording the split.