Board approves home-based construction office after added restriction on road parking

The Kosciusko County board approved an appeal of a hearing officer’s earlier grant allowing a home-based construction office on a Wooster Road property, adding a condition that no parking associated with the business be allowed along Wooster Road.

Staff told the board the hearing officer had approved Exception 2026-58 in May and that a neighbor had filed a timely appeal. The petitioner, identified in the record as Moist Sanchez, described recent cleanup and said the proposed operation would store company trucks and trailers at the barn, would not host clients at the site, and had a contract for a roll-off container and debris removal.

During public comment, Henry Clarke, who said he has lived near the site for 30 years, told the board he feared increased truck traffic and trailers on a nearby blind hill would create a serious safety hazard for neighbors and those entering or exiting driveways.

Board members inspected videos and photographs submitted as exhibits showing the property before and after the original hearing and discussed the five conditions imposed by the hearing officer. One member moved to approve the petition with the original conditions and add a new condition prohibiting any parking on Wooster Road connected with the business; the motion was seconded and carried.

The approval preserves the hearing officer’s mitigation measures (fencing, storage behind the barn, screening and continued cleanup) while adding a road-parking prohibition the board said was needed to address neighbor safety concerns. The board did not provide a recorded roll-call tally in the transcript; minutes record the motion, second and a vote in favor.

Next steps are administrative: staff will prepare the formal findings and the petitioner must comply with the board’s conditions and complete any required follow-up paperwork before operating under the board’s approval.