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Morgan Township zoning commission names interim vice chair, approves one lot split and denies another over shared driveway rule
Summary
The commission appointed a temporary vice chair after a three‑month leave request, approved a lot split at 7860 Okehanna/Drewersburg Road, and denied a proposed split at 2829 Chapel Road because the proposal relied on a shared driveway disallowed under township regulations.
The Morgan Township Zoning Commission on June 3 accepted an email notice from member Kevin Branditz requesting an immediate three‑month leave and voted to appoint Commissioner Brandon Jackson as temporary vice chair. The motion to appoint Jackson was moved by the chair and seconded; the commission approved the appointment by voice vote.
The commission then considered two lot‑split applications. Staff described the proposal for 7860 Okehanna/Drewersburg Road as a straightforward division that would leave the house and barn on one parcel and split a second parcel for the applicant’s sister, with both parcels retaining road frontage. Commissioners discussed the configuration and paperwork, conducted a roll‑call‑style vote and approved the split; staff will sign the papers later in the meeting.
A separate lot‑split application for 2829 Chapel Road was denied after commissioners determined the plan relied on a shared driveway arrangement that violates the commission’s regulations. The chair and several members noted that while a shared access point sometimes exists in practice, a formal shared private driveway is not allowed under current zoning and any variance would have to be pursued through the Board of Zoning Appeals. The commission denied the split and advised the applicant that BZA review or a redesigned access that avoids a shared private driveway would be necessary.
During public comment, a resident proposed an alternative middle‑ground access arrangement: a county‑designated single safe access point in the right of way that immediately forks so each lot has its own private driveway beyond a short easement. The resident said he would email a diagram to staff for consideration. Commissioners acknowledged the idea and the recurring nature of access disputes as a common cause of denials.
The commission set its next meeting for July 1, 2026, at 7 p.m. and adjourned at 8:04 p.m.
