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LaPorte County BZA approves several variances, tables multiple petitions for additional review
Summary
At its May 12 meeting the LaPorte County BZA approved variances for garages, sheds, accessory dwellings, and limited shipping‑container storage (three‑year limit), and tabled petitions involving horses, container site plans, EPA cleanup documentation and an island lot pending corrected filings.
LaPorte County’s Board of Zoning Appeals handled a full agenda May 12, approving multiple setback and development variances and tabling a handful of petitions pending additional documentation.
Highlights of the evening included approval for: a 4‑foot side‑setback garage at 120 Judson Road; a backyard shed set 8 ft from side and rear property lines at 2976 N. Horseshoe Bend; a two‑dwelling arrangement on a 21‑acre parcel at 1097 W. 1000 N. (petitioners will use the existing house as a guest house and build a new primary residence); a lot split at 312 Island Drive with several setback variances; and a request to build an accessory pole barn and operate a small landscaping business after the buyer demolished unsafe structures and cleaned the site at 3026 W. Small Road. The board also approved the placement of up to six shipping containers on an M2 parcel (7808 S. First Line Rd) for a maximum of three years, subject to permit requirements and Building Commissioner review.
Several items were tabled to the June 16 meeting so petitioners could provide missing or clarified documentation: a special exception to keep two horses on less than three acres (legal classification questions); a container‑storage request lacking a site plan; Emory Investments’ proposed parcel split pending EPA cleanup records; and an island lot setback variance where published notice and the petition filing did not match and where counsel raised concerns about whether proposed structures required a special‑exception review.
Building Commissioner Michael Polan and board counsel advised petitioners to work with staff to complete required site plans, septic or drainage documentation, and permit details. The board and staff repeatedly urged petitioners to coordinate with local fire services for clear addressing and driveway access when homes are approved on previously undeveloped or minimally improved parcels.
The meeting concluded with approval of prior minutes, a brief discussion urging updates to the zoning ordinance on shipping containers and tiny homes, and adjournment at 8:28 p.m.
