The Tippecanoe County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Dec. 1 to vacate a prior zoning commitment and rezone a parcel to MR to accommodate a proposed IU Health facility.

The requester, attorney Chris Shelman of Goway Law, told the board the proposal is "ultimately about a new hospital proposed at this site location. It's a $127,000,000 investment, bring, over 200 jobs," and asked the board to approve both the MR zoning and termination of the earlier commitment covering the parcel. Staff recommended approval, noting the land use plan supports quasi-public medical uses and that the termination applies only to the legal description for the MR area while other nearby commitments will remain in place.

County counsel recommended the board vote to vacate the prior zoning commitment first; the board did so by voice vote and then approved Ordinance 20 25 43 by a 3-to-0 recorded vote. The votes were recorded after a brief, uncontested public comment period in which no audience members spoke for or against the request.

The approvals clear the way for site-level reviews such as subdivision and engineering work that will follow. Shelman said the project sponsor expects the investment to support the broader IU Health system in the community. The board did not take separate actions on site engineering, drainage or permits at this meeting; those steps remain subject to subsequent reviews and approvals.

The ordinance passed 3 to 0; the board also approved vacating the prior commitment that applied to the parcel.