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Indiana Steel Carriers seeks variance to sell and stage trailers at existing terminal; staff flag runoff, sign and access issues
Summary
Indiana Steel Carriers asked the DRC for informal review of a use variance to allow trailer sales and outdoor staging at 447 N. Old State Road 2. Staff raised concerns about outdoor storage rules, sign permits, runoff from gravel/grindings, and driveway configuration; applicant was directed to the Board of Zoning Appeals.
Indiana Steel Carriers requested an informal review April 23 to allow trailer sales and outdoor staging at an existing trucking terminal at 447 North Old State Road 2 in Washington Township. The company said it would store only brand-new trailers for sale (generally two to four trailers at a time) and that it would not construct additional paving or buildings.
An applicant on the record identified himself as Ron O'Connor (address given) and described the site as an industrial trucking terminal currently hosting multiple tenants; county staff later discussed the same application with a person who identified as Matthew Batson. The applicant said the site has been used historically for trucking and that current operations include Sysco and other tenants.
Staff told the applicant the use-variance path is required because the parcel is zoned RR (rural residential) and the state requires an appropriate zoning designation to issue a trailer-sales license. County reviewers flagged several issues for the Board of Zoning Appeals to consider: outdoor storage standards (chapter 5), whether the historic use qualifies as legal nonconforming, the need for a sign permit for a recent face change to the existing sign, security/lighting concerns, and the site’s gravel/grinding surface that county code treats as impervious and that could cause runoff to sensitive nearby streams.
Staff explicitly prohibited truck washing and onsite chemical dispensing under the proposed arrangement and stressed the variance should not enable salvage or scrap-yard operations. Martin asked staff to research the ownership and maintenance status of Old State Road 2, and engineering staff said they would review and likely ask for a revised driveway configuration at the development-plan stage.
The applicant was told to secure a sign permit, prepare any needed documentation for the variance hearing and appear before the Board of Zoning Appeals. The DRC did not take a formal vote at the informal review.
