A proposed rezoning sought by a trucking business on U.S. 6 in Liberty Township has been withdrawn.

The Porter County Commissioners on Tuesday were scheduled to hold a public hearing on the petition of Allen’s Square Inc. to rezone about 25 acres surrounding the truck business at 101 W. U.S. 6. But the commissioners announced that the petition had been withdrawn earlier in the day.

County Plan Commission Executive Director Robert Thompson, who didn’t know about the withdrawal, said it means that the petitioners can now re-submit an application. The new application doesn’t have to be substantially different, he said, though he added that given the concerns that have been expressed, he would anticipate a modified plan if one is resubmitted.

Allen’s Square sought to rezone the property from its current Rural-Residential zone to CH (High Intensity Commercial). The existing trucking business is already zoned commercial, but some of the neighboring property is zoned residential.

If the petition hadn’t been withdrawn and the commissioners had denied the rezoning, the petitioners would have had to wait one year to resubmit their request or come back with a materially different plan, Thompson said.

The plan commission unanimously gave the rezoning an unfavorable recommendation last month, with some members saying that they first want to see the recommendations in the county’s just-begun corridor study and others saying that a commercial zone would conflict with the adjacent residential property.

Posted 4/16/2008