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First reading approved for rezoning at 597 W US 30; commissioners press developer for septic and traffic analyses
Summary
On first reading the board approved rezoning a parcel at 597 W US 30 from CH to CM, directing the petitioner to return before second reading with state sanitation capacity and traffic/circulation details; public hearing drew no speakers.
The Porter County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing and approved first reading March 10 to amend the zoning map for a property at 597 W US 30 from CH (high-intensity commercial) to CM (medium-intensity commercial).
Matt Rossman of ICS, representing the petitioner (Good Oil company), and engineer Adam McAlpine presented a scaled-back site plan that envisions five total buildings, including a branded convenience/gas store and four trade-warehouse-type buildings, and a shared commercial septic system after the local sanitary district declined connection because of capacity concerns.
Rossman described conversations with INDOT about access, said INDOT indicated it would not favor additional access points on Route 30, and said the developer will design shared septic and stormwater solutions as required by state agencies. Engineer Adam McAlpine said the site’s sandy soils make a septic design technically feasible but noted the final septic permit will be issued and sized by the Indiana State Department of Health during the septic-design review.
Several commissioners voiced caution about approving a rezoning that would allow subdivision into multiple lots before receiving state-level sanitary concurrence and a traffic/access plan. One commissioner said they could not support a rezoning without confirmation that a septic system could support the proposed lot layout and recommended the petitioner return before second reading with a septic-capacity determination and additional details on circulation, emergency access and turnarounds for larger vehicles.
The board recorded that the plan commission had issued a favorable recommendation (one negative vote) and held a public hearing during the meeting; no members of the public spoke in favor or against the proposal. The commissioners carried the first-reading motion; the petitioner was told to work with Commissioner Morales (the board’s plan-commission representative) and to return with the requested documentation for the second reading or seek a deferral if more time is needed.
