Board approves parking expansion and stormwater basin for MMPM Investments with landscaping and lighting conditions

The board granted variances to MMPM Investments to expand parking and add a stormwater basin at 553 West State Road 130, subject to commitments on landscaping and lighting. Kevin Corros of McMahon Associates said engineering and stormwater reviews have been completed and that the plan upgrades site drainage to county standards. He told the board the site currently operates as a limousine business and argued that pedestrian network requirements and large green‑belt standards are impractical in an agricultural corridor: “This is kind of a business where one owner and his drivers come in, and then they all leave the site,” Corros said, requesting relief from corridor overlay pedestrian network and some landscaping and lighting standards.

Neighbors and nearby landowners warned that retention and drainage could affect downstream drain tiles and cause recurring flooding if not properly managed; applicant said drainage calculations were submitted to both Porter County stormwater and INDOT and that the design detains and releases water per manual standards. The board approved the request (case DBDash2026Dash40) with commitments to a scaled landscaping/greenbelt (street trees at approximately one per 40 feet) and to consider a single parking‑lot light pole in a rear area for security, to be finalized with staff review.