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Porter County board moves to grant one‑year use variance allowing trailer sales at North Old State Road site
Summary
At a Porter County board meeting, members moved to grant a one‑year use variance to Indiana Steel Carriers to allow trailer sales and outdoor storage at 447 North Old State Road 2, contingent on the owner seeking rezoning within 12 months; no roll-call tally appears in the transcript.
Matthew Debbats, owner and applicant for Indiana Steel Carriers, asked the Porter County board to allow on‑site trailer sales and outdoor storage at 447 North Old State Road 2 in Alpreso.
Debbats told the board he wants to sell trailers to his own company to avoid the cost of buying trailers through third‑party dealers and to capture federal contracting opportunities. “We’re just looking… to sell ourselves trailers,” he said, adding that the firm recently passed on about $480,000 in work because it lacked equipment. Debbats said the business has SBA financing approval in process and described recent commercial relationships, including work supporting military movements.
County staff presented aerial photos and a short ownership history of the property, noting trailer‑related uses at the site dating back decades and stating that the current applicant appears to be a tenant and that the legal owner is MP East LC. Staff told the board the owner and tenant have discussed subdividing the larger parcel so the applicant would take the gravel/operations area—described in the hearing as roughly 11.25 acres—while the farmland would remain with the owner.
Board members pressed for operational details. Debbats estimated 30–40 trailers might be on site at peak times but said numbers vary because trailers are staged and moved; he also described efforts to avoid peak local traffic and said a required sign permit has been submitted. “We take being compliant and safety very serious… our goal is grow here and provide… good jobs to Port County,” he said.
A board member moved to grant a one‑year use variance to permit trailer sales and outdoor storage, with the stipulation that the property owner pursue rezoning of the parcel within 12 months. The motion was seconded and members discussed possible additional conditions, including business hours and the ownership/contingency status of the petitioner. The transcript records the motion and a second but does not include a roll‑call tally or a formal recorded vote.
The board closed by encouraging the applicant and owner to begin the rezoning process and then adjourned the meeting.
What happens next: the owner or contingent purchaser must apply for rezoning within 12 months to continue the use past the variance period; the transcript indicates the board expects engagement with staff on next steps but contains no recorded final vote tally.
