Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Easement Vacation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Porter County plan commission approves vacation of unused easement on Noel property
Summary
The commission approved petitioner Rodney Noel’s request to vacate a 54‑year-old ingress/egress and utility easement on a 3.3-acre parcel in Union Township after staff verified a recorded driveway agreement and a neighbor spoke in favor.
The Porter County Plan Commission voted to vacate an existing ingress/egress and utility easement on a 3.3-acre parcel owned by Rodney L. Noel, after hearing from the petitioner, staff and a neighboring property owner.
Rodney Noel told the commission he and the adjoining property owners have used utilities and the driveway on the north side of the parcel since they bought the property 54 years ago, and that the south-side easement has never hosted utilities. "We have no use for the easement whatsoever," Noel said, adding that he and relatives executed a legal maintenance agreement that will bind future owners.
Staff summarized the 2004 minor-subdivision history that led to the recorded 60-foot road configuration and noted the petitioner had recorded private documents allocating driveway maintenance among property owners. A neighbor, who identified himself as Joshua and said he lives immediately west of Noel’s parcel, testified that the easement has not been used and that a separate driveway easement now provides access, and urged approval.
Commissioners asked whether utilities could be installed in the future and whether the private maintenance agreement would bind later buyers; Noel replied that his attorney prepared the documents and that buyers must agree to that arrangement. After discussion, a motion to approve the vacation of the ingress/egress and utility easement for case BOE-2026-1 was seconded and carried by a recorded voice vote.
The commission’s action vacates the specified easement on the minor-subdivision plat; the vote was recorded by the presiding official and commissioners present. The petitioner said the driveway arrangement and recorded documents are intended to preserve access and maintenance responsibilities among the current owners and their successors.
Next steps: the action was recorded as the plan commission’s approval; any required recording of documents with the county or subsequent permitting will proceed according to county procedures.
