The Porter Board of
Zoning Appeals conducted two preliminary hearings at its meeting last week.
The Board began by
reorganizing. Eric Kremke will stay President and Laura Madigan will be
Vice-president.
In the first
preliminary hearing, Richard Anderson on behalf of Indiana Land Trust asked
the Board to set a public hearing to terminate written commitments attached
to the property of the former Splash Down Dunes Waterpark at the northeast
corner of U.S. 20 and Waverly Road. Anderson was given power of attorney
over the property, which is still owned by the former operators of the
Waterpark, White Stallion LLC.
The written
commitments were made as part of variances to allow paintball and those
related to a defunct drainage plan. The written commitments are irrelevant
now since the property was rezoned from business to multi-family residential
use and new developer Weiss Entities has developed its own plan to address
long-standing drainage issues at the site, Anderson said. He said the
written commitments and variances associated are all specific to the site’s
former use as a waterpark.
Variances granted
for the former Waterpark die with the removal of the structure, but written
commitments stay with the property unless terminated in a public hearing,
according to Board Attorney Laura Frost. The Board set the issue for public
hearing at its next meeting, March 18.
In the second
preliminary hearing, Maria Stamp requested two developmental standards
variances for a beach cottage at 2929 Dudley Drive on behalf of the
Frederick Deters Trust.
Stamp said she’s
remodeling the property to increase the space that’s usable year-round at
the cottage by enclosing a screened porch and an exterior staircase on the
south side of the home. A small deck will remain as outdoor space.
Barry said the
scope of the project has widened since the property was formerly granted a
variance for a carport on the east side of the home, which triggered the
need for a 10.8-foot setback variance on the south property line and a
variance for remodel costs that exceed 20 percent of home value per year.
The Board set the
request for public hearing at its next meeting, March 18.