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Council amends rezoning request for Cornerstone Landscaping, narrows permitted uses and holds final passage for property owner signature
Summary
The Regulations Committee voted to amend a request to rezone property at 3404 Illinois Road from I-1 to I-2 by reducing the applicant’s written commitment from 16 allowable I-2 uses to seven; the amended ordinance passed in committee 7-0 but the council agreed to hold final passage for two weeks so the property owner can re-sign the commitment.
The Fort Wayne Common Council’s Regulations Committee on Aug. 26 considered a rezoning request from Cornerstone Landscaping (applicant Timothy R. Pancake) for a triangular parcel immediately east of 3404 Illinois Road and voted to amend the applicant’s voluntary written commitment to limit uses if the zoning is changed from I-1 (limited industrial) to I-2 (general industrial).
Michelle Wood of the Department of Planning Services said the applicant submitted a development plan that includes a roughly 6,000-square-foot storage and office building, outdoor storage screened from view, and voluntary written commitments narrowing I-2 uses from the district’s ~120 uses to 16 that the applicant requested. Wood said the plan met planning commission requirements for buffering, screening and lighting and had a plan-commission recommendation of approval.
Councilman Dan Paddock, representing the neighborhood, proposed an amendment that further narrowed the allowed uses to seven: contractor (construction/excavation/landscaping), retail greenhouse, wholesale greenhouse, landscape contracting service, plant nursery, sign fabrication and tree service. Brandon Almas, attorney for Cornerstone and Mr. Pancake, said the applicant agreed to the seven uses subject to obtaining the property owner’s re-execution of the written commitment.
City staff advised that the written commitment is an agreement executed by the applicant and the property owner; Paddock and Almas agreed to hold the ordinance for two weeks to allow the owner to re-sign. The committee adopted Paddock’s amendment 7-0 and then voted to hold the ordinance for two weeks (next committee date Sept. 9) so staff can secure the property owner’s signature before the measure is placed on final passage.
The amended permit list narrows the scope of allowed industrial uses on the site; council members said the change reflected neighborhood concerns and sought to balance the applicant’s operational needs with adjacent residential areas.
