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LaPorte County BZA approves multiple variances, tables several petitions to June meeting
Summary
At its May 12 special meeting the LaPorte County Board of Zoning Appeals approved several setback and use variances, allowed storage containers with conditions, and tabled complex or documentation‑dependent petitions to the June 16 meeting.
The LaPorte County Board of Zoning Appeals on May 12 considered a long agenda of variances and special exceptions following the earlier enforcement motion on a separate petition.
Approvals and key outcomes included: a side-setback variance for a detached garage at 120 Judson Road (petitioner Timothy Colosson); approval for up to six shipping containers on an M-2 parcel (Brett Waldo) with a three-year renewable condition and anchoring/foundation requirements; a shed setback variance for Daniel and Lana Ford; approval for a landscaping business and future shop at 3026 West Small Road after the owner demonstrated substantial cleanup; a second-residence/guest-house variance for Manuel and Hortensia Udave; and other residential lot-split and accessory-dwelling approvals.
The board tabled petitions that required further legal review or documentation, including a special exception to keep horses on under-3-acre R-1B land (Steven Valet) and an industrial parcel split tied to an EPA cleanup (Emory Investments). Several petitions involving shipping containers and other nonresidential uses were either approved with specific conditions (foundation/anchoring, time limits) or tabled for a site plan and additional evidence.
Public comment was mixed: neighbors supported some petitions (for example, the landscaping-site cleanup) and opposed others (several attendees called shipping containers "blight" when proposed in nonindustrial areas). The board repeatedly encouraged petitioners to work with the building commissioner's office on permits, site plans, and meeting any building-code or fire-department requirements.
Votes at a glance (selected items): - Petition #1 (305 West Johnson Road): motion directing enforcement (see separate article above) — motion carries 4–1. - Petition #3 (120 Judson Road — detached garage): approved. - Petition #5 (7808 South 1st Line Road — up to 6 shipping containers): approved with a three‑year condition and requirement to meet building commissioner's criteria. - Petition #6 (shed at 2976 North Horseshoe Bend): approved. - Petition #8 (landscaping business at 3026 West Small Road): approved; property cleanup noted. - Petition #9 (three shipping containers — Greg Amore): tabled to June 16 for site plan and documentation. - Petition #13 (Emory Investments — 29-acre split tied to EPA cleanup): tabled pending documentation and correspondence with building commissioner's office and EPA.
The board repeatedly advised petitioners to coordinate with staff for permits and emphasized improved ordinance language and enforcement capacity as longer-term needs.
