The Chesterton
Advisory Plan Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, at the
town hall.
At that meeting,
planners are scheduled to hold a preliminary hearing on the petition of John
Nekus to develop a “retirement village” on the 11.28 acres which he owns
behind the Chesterton Post Office. Nekus’ attorney, Greg Babcock, has
represented the concept as a “substantial change” from the planned unit
development which planners voted 5-2 to reject earlier this year. Those
changes, according to Babcock, include the following:
¥The retirement
village would provide for the construction of 42 residential units in 21
duplexes, compared to the 62 units which Nekus was seeking to build in the
PUD.
¥All roadways and
sidewalks would be built to Town Standards and dedicated to the town. That
is, they would be public, not private, as the original PUD called for.
¥The retirement
village would be developed according to the requirements of the B-3 zone and
there would be no need for any “relief,” that is, for variances of any kind.
¥A “community
center” would be built for residents of the retirement village.
Planners, however,
could struggle over the Zoning Ordinance’s definition of “retirement
village” and whether it actually applies to Nekus’ concept: “A business
venture for the establishment of a retirement village for senior citizens
that will provide for the privacy of the individual residents in private
dwelling units but also including such basic services as barber shops,
beauty shops, gift shops, pharmacies, and a centralized kitchen and dining
area.”
More: “A retirement
village must also meet all of the following criteria: (1) have a centralized
kitchen and dining area to accommodate all occupants of the facility; (2)
have a full-time staff member on site; (3) comply with all ADA requirements;
(4) have a maximum of two persons per unit; and (5) at least one occupant of
each unit must be 55 years of age.”
At issue: whether
Nekus proposes to build an actual retirement village or just a residential
subdivision in a B-3 zone.
Public Hearing
Planners are also
scheduled on Thursday to hold a public hearing on a petition from the
Villages of Sand Creek Home Owners Association.
Specifically, the
HOA wants to amend the PUD ordinance to use $40,000 which for years has been
held in escrow to build sidewalks, instead to expand a children’s play area
located just north of Sawgrass Drive and east of Ballenisle Court.
In June, the HOA’s
attorney, Clay Patton, told planners that for various reasons the sidewalks
were never built and at this pointÑgiven the fact that they were meant to be
routed behind residents’ homesÑthe sidewalks would probably irk a lot
of folks interested in privacy.
Secondary Plat
Finally, planners
are scheduled to consider granting secondary plat approval for the Dollar
General project being pursued by Tom Lipinski on the old Lipinski Automotive
property at 1300 Broadway.
Last month planners
unanimously approved a re-plat of the property into two parcels and a
re-zone of the easternmost parcel from I-1 to B-3 for the development of a
Dollar General.