BZA grants Waste Away Group setback and fence variances; board adds brick‑wainscoting condition

The Elkhart City Board of Zoning Appeals approved two variances for Waste Away Group to construct a new one‑story maintenance shop and install an 8‑foot decorative fence on a campus near North Wildwood and West Beardsley. Brian McMorrow, a licensed professional engineer representing the owner, said the project consolidates about 14 tax parcels into a 4.7‑acre campus, removes two small metal sheds and replaces them with a 100‑by‑156‑foot shop building with seven garage doors to allow truck maintenance.

McMorrow said the proposed building must occupy a portion of the front yard to provide safe circulation and to avoid overhead utility constraints. Dominic Reves, a region engineer with Waste Connections (the parent company), said the new shop will modernize cramped facilities used by mechanics and improve safety and working conditions.

Staff recommended approval of both the 9‑foot reduced front‑yard setback and the 4‑foot fence‑height variance, and asked the board to add a condition requiring brick wainscoting on the building’s front façade to elevate the gateway appearance. The board approved the fence variance with no additional conditions and approved the setback variance adopting staff’s condition for brick facing on the north side of the building.

Staff also noted about 21 mailed notices and a small number of written responses; one returned not in favor on a related matter was clarified as belonging to a separate case during the hearing. The board thanked the petitioner for working with staff and encouraged careful attention to Beardsley frontage aesthetics.