Industrial rezoning rejected on west side
Plan commission sides with remonstrators against equipment storage facility
This article is brought to you by the Kokomo Family YMCA. January is the time to join the Y! Our $24 joiner fee is made to help you get a jump start on your health journey, all while saving over half of the normal fee. We never lock you into a contract, and if money is an issue, come and talk to us! Drop by the membership desk today and check out what the Y has for you in 2024! We're so much more than a swim & gym and we're with you every step of the way.
As a member of the Y, you can enjoy:
• FREE group fitness classes
• Indoor Track
• Aquatics Center
• Early registration and discounted prices on our new Experiences packaged programs
• YMCA360 with membership so you can work out anywhere, any time!
• Racquetball, gymnasium and wellness center
• Play and Learn (Up to 2 hours of free drop-in childcare while you use of the Y)
The Howard County Plan Commission recently voted not to recommend the Howard County Board of Commissioners approve a proposed zoning change that would re-zone property located in a rural residential area on State Road 26 west of Kokomo into a light industrial zone.
This was the third reading of the re-zoning request by owners Michael and Christine Simpson, and it drew a room full of remonstrators against re-zoning the property.
On Oct. 17, the Commission had approved the zoning request, 4-3, which was not a majority, and the request was moved to the next month's meeting. In November, the case was tabled to December's meeting because there was not a quorum of members present.
Executive Director of the Kokomo-Howard County Plan Commission Greg Sheline weighed in remotely at the December meeting by video, stating that "This is the third time this has come before the board. I believe the petitioners deserve an answer so that we can move this on to present to the commissioners."
Kane Francis, owner of Lafayette's Complete Construction Concepts and the prospective purchaser of the Simpson property, said he needed the rezoning to build an equipment storage barn and a showroom to engage retail clients one-on-one for purchasing new farm buildings.
The assembled remonstrators’ major concern was not Francis' present plan, but that the rezoning could open the doors for more intense industrial activity in the future with new owners. They worried that the property could not revert to a previous zoning classification after the light industrial zoning had been established. Many expressed worries about property values and contamination from future industrial activity on this land.
Francis, who spoke after owner Michael Simpson asked him to describe the project, promised that "No manufacturing of any type will be done on the property as long as I own it," to which several of the group replied out of turn, "That's the problem!"
Plan Commission President Cheryl Graham had to admonish the assembled crowd to speak at the microphone, threatening one remonstrator with removal if the outbursts continued.
Remonstrator Dan Taylor presented a petition signed by adjacent and neighboring property owners, objecting to the zoning and asking the board to vote no on the case.
Taylor's son, Alex, read a letter from nearby property owner Kent Williams who was unable to attend the meeting. Williams wrote, "It has been very clear that this area has been established for decades as a rural residential/agricultural area."
Plan Commission member Mike Imbler spoke up, saying "I'm from the old school. If 29 of the nearby property owners object to the re-zoning, then it's our job to vote it down."
After all the remonstrators presented their cases, with Francis answering questions in response, the vote was called. The plan commission voted against recommending the re-zoning, 7-2. The case moves to the Howard County Commissioners for their final say on the matter in January.
When asked what he would do if the commissioners turned down the rezoning, Francis replied "I will probably build somewhere else outside of Howard County."