Commissioners deny Faulkner rezoning after planning commission and technical-review concerns

Kosciusko County commissioners voted to deny a petition to rezone a 39.77-acre tract owned by Lyle and Becky Faulkner from agricultural (AG) to AG-2, following a unanimous negative recommendation from the planning commission and concerns raised by the technical review committee.

Planning staff outlined the parcel's size and location (about a quarter mile west of State Road 19 on 1100 North). The planning commission's technical review noted drainage and farmland-value concerns and questioned whether rezoning the parcel would be compatible with the county's comprehensive plan. The commission concluded the rezoning would amount to spot zoning in that area and unanimously recommended denial.

Attorney Steve Snyder, representing the petitioner, disputed that conclusion and urged the commissioners to view the request in the context of county housing needs. Snyder said the parcel could yield "maybe 34 or 35 lots" of roughly one acre each with wells and septic systems, and he argued AG-2 zoning "lends itself perfectly" to such a layout that could help meet the county's stated housing demand.

A member of the technical review committee told commissioners the county values prime farmland and recommended retaining AG zoning when possible; committee members and area plan representatives reiterated that large, contiguous tracts in the location are better preserved for agriculture. After discussion, a commissioner moved to accept the area-plan/technical-review recommendation not to rezone; a second was made and the motion carried by voice vote.

The commissioners' vote preserves the parcel's AG zoning; no subsequent motion was made to forward the petition for rezoning under different conditions. The petitioner may pursue other planning processes but must address the technical-review concerns noted at the hearing.