Battery plant supplier, hotel face city plat committee

Developments slowed by lack of information; tardy Sangsin plant will have to wait

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Another business supporting the StarPlus Energy electric vehicle battery plant is making plans to come to Kokomo. Sangsin Indiana Inc., a South Korean company specializing in automotive brakes, is developing an 11-acre site just south of the StarPlus plant.

However, the Sangsin development, a 68,000-square-foot facility, is lagging well behind schedule, and it struggled through a meeting of the Kokomo Plan Commission's plat committee on Sept. 27.

"I didn't get a set of the drainage calculations to convert detention, pond sizing, and everything," said Jon Pyke, the City of Kokomo's director of engineering. "That's a pretty hot button item right now between the city and the county, so I want to make sure all that's appropriate.

"I think it probably is based on my limited knowledge of what I've seen so far, but I just need to have that documentation."

It quickly became obvious that communication and unfamiliarity with the process are bogging down the development.

According to Glenda Myers, inspector with the Kokomo Fire Department, the project has fire hydrants every 200 feet, which is too many. And she had plenty of questions that went unanswered as she never received a set of plans from the developer.

"I want to coordinate with you on the hydrant spacing, the fire alarm system, the wet and dry systems," said Myers. "I need all these details."

Part of the issue arose from the fact that the developer is seeking approvals piecemeal. It currently is seeking a foundation release from the State of Indiana. That release is typically included in a larger, sweeping approval process.

"They don't have full sets of plans," said Pyke. "They're trying to to get moving, and they're just breaking it off into smaller bites."

Kokomo Plan Commission Director Greg Sheline expressed concerns that the Sangsin project is struggling with deadlines imposed upon it by StarPlus Energy.

"They are so far behind schedule, and they're pushing Jon and me to do things we're not willing to do without finished plans," said Sheline. "I'm willing to help them. I don't think they understand the process as well as we think they should.

"So we have to keep feeding them information to try to get through it. I don't think they're trying to shortcut. I just don't think they know."

The project did advance through the plat committee with a favorable recommendation and will next go before the Kokomo Plan Commission.

The plat committee also considered the site plan for a new hotel on the city's south side. A H3 by Hilton hotel is slated for construction at 5128 Cartwright Drive, but there are still a few hoops to jump through before the project can move forward.

As pointed out by Pyke, the project has an issue with a drainage easement which runs through the property. The Vitatoe regulated drain has two easements attached to it; the larger of the two reserving 150 feet of land along the drain. The developer will need to obtain permission from the Howard County Drainage Board to encroach on it.

This easement is only one of three hurdles facing the hotel. The four-story structure is designed to be 50 feet high, which will require a variance from the city plan commission. It also will need a variance for parking, as the project features 138 parking spaces, but is required to have 145.

The plat committee approved the site plan, contingent upon these issues being resolved.

(Editor’s note: This article was revised to better reflect Greg Sheline’s position on Sangsin’s progress, and to note that the was forwarded to the Kokomo Plan Commission with a favorable recommendation.)