Plan commission conditionally approves Trine University 30,000-sf Pellegrino Design Center addition

The City of Angola Plan Commission on April 14 voted to approve a conditional development plan for a 30,255-square-foot two-level addition to Best Hall at Trine University, known in the application as the Pellegrino Student Design Center.

Planning staff summarized the project as a west-side addition to the 1960-era Best Hall that will house fabrication and testing labs. The main floor is listed at about 14,780 square feet and the lower level at roughly 15,004 square feet; staff said the façade will match existing masonry, glass and metal panels and the addition will not exceed the current building height. Staff recommended approval conditioned on satisfactory resolution of all plan-review and routing comments.

Ken Wilson of JICIA, representing Trine University’s project team, described project access and the intent to reconstruct a circular sidewalk between buildings after construction. He said the addition will be used primarily for material handling and lab work rather than new parking, and that the university has plans for additional campus parking to accommodate the change. Wilson told the commission the project’s planned groundbreaking is May 2, with construction to begin May 5 pending approvals.

Staff noted the Board of Zoning Appeals granted a two-foot encroachment into the west side-yard setback and railroad right-of-way on March 24; the railroad had approved the encroachment. Commissioners asked technical questions about utilities and construction sequencing; staff said departments had returned some comments on April 10 and that final department sign-offs must be addressed as a condition of approval.

A commissioner moved to approve the development plan with the condition that all plan-review and routing comments be adequately addressed; the motion passed by voice vote. The development plan approval is contingent on resolving outstanding departmental comments before issuance of construction permits.