The Porter County Plan Commission is in the process of adding two amendments to its Unified Development Ordinance which will include more inspections pertaining to water drainage.

Plan Commissioner Executive Director Robert Thompson submitted petitions at last week’s Porter County Board of Commissioners meeting for an Improvement Location Permits amendment and a Construction Inspection amendment.

According to Improvement Location Permit amendment draft, homebuilders will need to submit planner surveys along with a finished grade evaluation. The builder will be asked to submit the surveys at certain times during the construction. The plan commission will then ask for an as-built document to show the residential structure was built according to the zoning regulations and details on all setbacks encountered.

The plan commission will finally ask for a finished grade evaluation to ensure the structure is constructed according to the submitted zone water plans. For older plats that do not have a grade, the plan commission will ask the builder to inspect the adjoining lots to make sure their lot isn’t any higher than any neighboring properties to prevent problems with the water supply and that a plan is implemented to manage water retention on the property.

Thompson said there will be no additional expenses for the inspections but builders will need to pay the standard fees for the building permit. He also said the ordinance applies to residential structures and large accessory buildings.

The plan commission will also add a new section to the Construction Inspection portion of the Unified Development Ordinance. Thompson said the draft calls for further construction inspections of underground water and sewage pipes near the sub-base of roads in subdivisions and new development plans.

An engineer will need to inspect the pipes weekly for proper seating and structure and will report to the Plan Commission. The engineer will see if the pipes are being constructed according to the original plan approved by the plan commission. If an engineer sees a problem, the plan commission will take action to see that adjustments are made to the pipes.

Thompson presented the amendments at last week’s Porter County Board of Commissioners meeting. The commissioners showed their support by unanimously approving a first reading of the amendments and are expected to approve a second reading at their upcoming meeting.

Posted 12/7/2009