Developer seeks 35-foot ditch setback; drainage board approves conditional reduction

Chris Gadowski of Avon Marsh presented a concept plan and requested the drainage board approve a reduction in a ditch setback from 75 feet to 35 feet for a proposed 7,200-square-foot building on a property at the south end of South Bend near the intersection of Maine and Michigan.

Gadowski said the drawing was a concept and intended to show how the larger 75-foot easement left little usable area for a building pad and parking. "This is just a concept drawing," he said. He described site constraints including an AEP power-line easement that crosses the south part of the parcel and a large easement tied to the construction of US 31, which together limited the developable area.

Board members asked clarifying questions about the exact location, whether the site is vacant, and how maintenance access would be preserved. Members noted that the 35-foot line shown in the concept would leave portions of the land untouched and that, if necessary, stormwater infrastructure might need to be installed underground to fit in the reduced footprint.

A motion was made, seconded and carried to approve the requested reduction to a 35-foot ditch setback, with the request that the applicant provide a final site plan when it is submitted to the City of South Bend for the record.

The board recorded the approval on the meeting record; no additional changes to county policy were adopted. The board emphasized that final engineering and any impacts to stormwater would be addressed during review of the final site plan.