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Commission recommends rezoning portion of Portage Road parcel to commercial and approves one variance with written commitment
Summary
APC voted to send APC 3091-26 to County Council with a favorable recommendation for rezoning a rear portion of a Portage Road parcel to commercial to accommodate a contractor yard; staff recommended denial of one landscaping variance but approval of a paving‑related variance subject to a written commitment tying future paving to a change of use.
The Area Plan Commission voted July 14 to send APC 3091-26 — Crown Investments LLC’s request to rezone a rear portion of a Portage Road parcel from single‑family residential to commercial — to the St. Joseph County Council with a favorable recommendation, and resolved the petition’s two variance requests.
Staff (Fariel Sharif) described the site as a largely residential corridor with an existing fenced accessory pole barn and gravel pad; the petitioner requested two variances: (1) to allow concrete aggregate or gravel surfaces instead of hard‑paving for drive and vehicle storage areas and (2) to avoid planting a double-row staggered evergreen buffer abutting residential uses. Staff recommended approving variance 1 with conditions (including paving if the use later changes to one that requires more parking) and denying variance 2 on the basis that lack of landscaping screening could affect adjacent property values.
Representatives for the petitioner (agent Anthony Perchini, engineer Mike Rzycki and owner Mr. Leibovitz) said the site has prior commercial use, they propose fencing and a single row of evergreens visible from the right of way, and that the front portion of the parcel would remain residential. The petitioner submitted letters of support from adjacent property owners, and explained that employees primarily pick up materials (no retail customers), limiting traffic.
Commissioners discussed rights‑of‑way concerns for fence placement and the narrowness of the parcel before voting to send a favorable recommendation to County Council for rezoning. For the variances, the commission approved variance 1 subject to rezoning approval and to a written commitment that if the use changes and required parking increases, the areas would be paved; variance 2 was denied. Commissioners noted the motion makes the paving requirement a written commitment that runs with the land to ensure future owners are held to the same condition.
The rezoning recommendation will now go to the St. Joseph County Council, and the variance approval is conditional on that action.
