St. Joseph County APC gives favorable recommendation to 70‑acre planned unit development near New Carlisle

The Saint Joseph County Area Planning Commission voted 6‑1 on March 18 to forward a proposal from Hedgecroft LLC that would rezone an approximately 69.36‑acre farm parcel northeast of the Spruce Road and U.S. 20 intersection to a Planned Unit Development (PUD). The commission’s favorable recommendation sends the matter to the St. Joseph County Council for final action.

County planning staff described the site as “a large, nearly 70 acre, tilled farm parcel at the Northeast intersection of Spruce Road and US Highway 20,” and said the developer’s PUD would permit a mix of light commercial and varying residential densities centered around a preserved open‑space corridor at Taylor Ditch. "You don't see these too often, but they are essentially a build your own zoning district," Area Planning staff Carl Brown Grimm told the commission.

The commission and staff emphasized infrastructure and environmental limits. Staff told commissioners the development would connect to the Town of New Carlisle municipal water system and the City of South Bend sanitary sewer; it would avoid building in the…