October 7, 2010
The Ellettsville, Indiana Plan Commission met in
regular session on Thursday, October 7, 2010 in the Fire Department Training
and Conference Room located at 5080
West State Road 46. Dan Swafford called the meeting to order at
6:00 p.m. Phillip Smith led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Roll Call: Members present were: Dan Swafford,
Ron Wayt, Don Calvert, Phillip Rogers, Phillip Smith and Sandra Hash. Clayton Sullivan was absent. Connie Griffin,
Planning Director, and Rick Coppock were also present.
Approval of the Minutes – September 2, 2010
Dan Swafford entertained a motion for approval of the September 2, 2010
minutes. Phillip Smith so moved. Phillip Rogers seconded. Motion carried.
Monthly
Conflict of Interest Statement
Don Calvert asked if Chad Stephens being a former
student of his is a conflict. Dan
Swafford said he wasn’t certain but didn’t think so. Dan Swafford noted Don Calvert used to be his
teacher also.
New Business
Asher Fleet
Services C-3 Zoning Land Use Classification and Current
Land Use Connie Griffin,
Planning Department, and Chad
Stephens, Manager/Owner
Connie
Griffin, Planning Department
Asher Fleet Services is a C-3
zoning classification. The Planning
Department has received several complaints and concerns about the current land
use of two parcels located on West
McNeely Street identified as Asher Fleet Services
at 6679 West McNeely Street
in Ellettsville. The Manager/Owner is
Chad Stevens. The parcel numbers are
listed at 009-0969000 and 009-0029001.
The complaints and concerns were specifically citing the current land
use and the current zoning classification.
An inspection was conducted on September 13, 2010, with Dan Swafford and
Ms. Griffin. Photographs of the
inspection were taken and distributed. When Mr. Swafford and Ms. Griffin met
with Asher Fleet Services, the current land uses were discussed as well as the
new uses that were added. Mr. Stephens
stated that the following new uses were added in April 2010: a salvage business, roll off dumpsters and Chad’s
Recycle, Inc. With the inspection of the
new land uses, the property is now classified as a legally non-conforming use
by Town Code. A definition of
non-conforming use is “A legally existing
use of land or structures which does not conform with the permitted uses and
provisions applicable to the zoning district in which the use is located on the
date of adoption of this Chapter” which was May 27, 2003. Asher is running a salvage yard by
Ellettsville Municipal Code definition.
Under the salvage definition there is “Storage . . . processing, disassembly, reuse and/or resale of
discarded matter . . .” Mr. Stephens and Dan Farley stated the cars and
vehicles are stored anywhere to 30, 90 or 120 days. Possession of two or more inoperable vehicles
for more than 30 days is also a definition under Salvage Yard, “Wrecking or dismantling of a vehicle for
resale, selling of any major component parts of the vehicle, including the
engine, transmission, body-chassis, dog house (front assembly), rear-end or
frame, rebuilding wrecked or dismantled vehicles. Engaging in the business of storing,
disposing, salvaging or recycling of vehicles . . .” Salvage yards by code
require a special exception Industrial 2 zoning classification by Code
152.085. Code 152.085 is a special
exception that goes before the Board of Zoning Appeals for salvage yard, junk
yard or scrap metal processing facilities.
Under the special exception, “Solid
Waste Sorting Facility, all permits required under state and federal law have
been secured.” At this point and
time, the State license for salvaging has not been secured. According to the FEMA map, this business is
located 100% within the floodplain. The
proposed site should not be located outside of or not closer than 1,000 feet to
the boundary of a residential or commercial zoning district. The property is approximately 440 feet from a
residential district. A site permit was
not issued with filling in the floodplain area where the dumpster roll offs are
located and this is required pursuant to the Department of Natural Resources
permit for construction in a floodplain by I.C. 1428-1. Also, for operating a salvage yard requires an
Indiana state
permit and the Town Code requires it as well.
In summary, the land use is in conflict with our current code and there
is not a State permit at this time. Dan
Swafford asked if the codes Ms. Griffin stated were state and local codes. Ms. Griffin responded they were state and
local codes. Further, there is a special
exception under the BZA which is the Town Code.
A majority of the codes cited by Ms. Griffin were Town Codes but each of
those codes refer back to the adoption of State codes. Ron Wyat asked if the property being in a floodplain
makes it federal law. Ms. Griffin responded
it did. Mr. Wyat further stated
regardless of what the BZA says it just cannot be there. Ms. Griffin responded this was correct. Phillip Smith asked if the previous owner had
a special exception or if he was grandfathered in. Ms. Griffin stated the previous owner would
have been grandfathered in the 1980s. Sandra
Hash clarified Phillips Smith’s question in that the previous owner had a truck
business to start with which is allowed in that zone.
Dan Swafford had a few questions for Rick Coppock. First, Mr. Swafford wanted to know the
difference between a floodplain and flood zone.
Mr. Coppock responded they’re the same term. Mr. Swafford asked if there was any way
possible to remove the property from the floodplain. Mr. Coppock responded the property is close
to the creek and there is not much area.
Generally, if you’re going to do a project that involves a flood ways
then you’re going to fill in one area then you have to cut in another
area. The finished floor of your
building would have to be two feet above the floodplain elevation. The property is a pretty tight location for
removing it from the floodplain.
Dan Swafford asked if there were photographs where the
elevation was higher which were provided by Ms. Griffin. Mr. Swafford asked if the property is
considered in a floodplain because it’s near the creek even though the
elevation is higher. Mr. Coppock stated
that is what the elevation is at this date.
The Department of Natural Resources would go back years prior before
anyone used any fill. What happens when
you use fill, you’re going to create problems for people further down and up
stream of the property. Mr. Swafford
asked if Mr. Coppock meant that fill was used and it wasn’t a natural
process. Mr. Coppock responded some of it
has been filled in. Further, Mr. Coppock
advised if you wanted to do anything in that area then you would have to come
up with a grading plan, contact the DNR and they would give you what the flow
of the creek is and then you create a computer model with different plans for
different grades to make certain the flow can pass through that area. This would show you what the elevation would
be and what it would do to upstream and downstream. You can’t increase the flow to any other
properties on the creek. Mr. Swafford
asked what his thoughts on the reason for the retention pond. Ms. Griffin stated that would be a question
for Mr. Stephens. Sandra Hash asked if
an excavation permit was issued for that area.
Ms. Griffin responded an excavation permit had not been issued. According to I.C. 14-28-1, “a permit from the Natural Resources
Commission is required prior to the issuance of a local building permit for any
excavation, deposit construction or construction activity located in the flood
way. Land preparation activity such as
fill and grading clearing, no action shall be taken by the director until a
permit has been issued by the Natural Resources Commission granting approval
for construction in the flood way.”
Chad
Stephens, the building was built in
1972 for a roll off and trash business by John Quinn. Mr. Quinn filed for an SBA loan, went
bankrupt and the loan was bought by Boon Webb.
Then Mr. Stephens’ stepfather, Roger New, and mother purchased the
location in 1983. Upon doing so, the
banker had to have a zoning clarification to file for a loan. The President of the council at that time was
G.L. Chandler. Mr. Chandler and Mr. New
classified the property as Commercial - 3.
Mr. New had owned South Central Indiana Salvage in Bloomfield from 1978 to 1982. At that time, in 1984, salvage was to be part
of the business. Mr. Stephens provided
an aerial photograph from 1988 which shows trucks setting around, being
dismantled, salvage being sold and parts being used. Mr. Stephens purchased the business in 2004
from his family. He continued the truck
shop and cleaned up the property considerably.
Mr. Stephens continued to do salvage, continued to clean up, continued
to cut trucks up, continued to buy and currently he is working on moving his
truck shop. The business got to the
point, Mr. Stephens’ legal counsel advised he needed to create a new
business. He wanted to leave it where it
was for business in Ellettsville, to pay taxes and to have jobs. Mr. Stephens believes there is a
miscommunication because there is nothing new on the property and no new business;
it is just a new name. He still conducts
the same business as it has always been but it has just grown
considerably. There are approximately
150 customers who visit them weekly. Mr.
Stephens did not know he had to have a salvage permit because the business has
always been salvage. Dan Swafford asked
if the original owner had a salvage permit.
Mr. Stephens replied no and that no one from the DNR, the State, county
or city has ever told him he had to have a salvage permit. Mr. Swafford asked when he purchased the
business if he just changed the name and didn’t create a new business. Mr. Stephens stated no. Mr. Swafford asked when Mr. Stephens applied
for the retail permit did everything remained the same. Mr. Stevens responded yes and clarified he
purchased the property on October 1, 2004.
Mr. Swafford asked Mr. Stephens if he changed his business name at that
time. Mr. Stephens replied no, he
changed it to Asher Fleet Services in 2006.
Mr. Stephens changed it for emotional reasons and no one could spell
Ellettsville. Further, Mr. Stephens
stated it was his own idea to clean up the facility, make Ellettsville proud of
it and everyone who lives around it has stopped in and told him how well it
looks. Mr. Swafford asked when
Ellettsville had the big flood, did his building flood. Mr. Stephens responded during the flood, a
storm drain across from Matthews Street blew a bunch of water on to the field
and it comes north through the lot and back to the creek. Essentially, the water got approximately 8”
deep. The building actually sets on the
lowest point in the whole field. The
State raised the road and replaced an iron bridge with a concrete bridge. Mr. Swafford asked if the back half of the
property floods. Mr. Stephens replied no
and a lot of the back area has two sewer lines running through the
property. Much of the dirt in the field
was left over from the sewer lines being installed. Mr. Stephens stated he had no intentions of
doing anything wrong when he purchased the property and in needing a salvage
permit. At that time, it was presented
has a truck shop and a salvage operation and was zoned C-3 Commercial. In 2010, Mr. Stephens hired an eight year
veteran of the salvage industry who was not aware a salvage permit was
needed. Ms. Griffin noted J.B. Salvage
does have a salvage permit which is up for renewal in 2011 and it is good for
four years. Sandra Hash asked Mr.
Stephens when his attorney told him he needed to move his business, was it
before Ms. Griffin contacted him? Mr.
Stephens responded no, not to move his business. He is doing so well in his truck business he
cannot grow any in four bays. He has
three mechanics and he can’t put in any more tool boxes or trucks. Business is good. Mr. Stephens found a location in Bloomington and he is
currently working with Smith Newbecker and there have already been two public
meetings. He will be moving the truck
shop, road service and part sales to Bloomington. Due to the fact the salvage was always there
and a part of the business, he does not want to move it to Bloomington.
Mr. Stephens wants to leave a business in Ellettsville that pays taxes,
creates jobs, continues to evolve and look better then it ever has. His legal counsel said to create a new name
for the salvage business and leave it in Ellettsville. The roll offs have been a part of the
business since 1972. Mr. New didn’t do
roll offs but that is why the business was originally built. The roll offs go hand and hand with the
salvage. Mr. Stephens provided a letter
from Connie Griffin wherein she
explains there were new land uses in 2010.
The only thing brought into the business that was new would be the roll
off mixers. The salvage business has
always been there and was created in Chad’s Recycle Refuge. There are no trucks for sale but he was
trying to sell some old stuff purchased from Mr. New. Tires are cut and they are disposed off at
Hoosier Disposal. Currently, Mr.
Stephens keeps cars at least 30 days.
When he said 90 to 120 days, he may end up having cars come in, set up
for 120 days and it would be similar to Pick-a-Part. After 120 days, they would finish
disassembling it and sell off all the pieces.
Mr. Swafford asked if this would be a junk yard. Mr. Stephens responded he doesn’t like junk
yard because he always thinks of it as a nasty place. On-line at Pick-a-Part, everything is
beautiful and the cars are all in line.
The cars are brought in, dated and then goes on an Indiana web site where anyone can locate and
find a part. Dan Swafford asked if Mr.
Stephens had worked on any of the things cited by Ms. Griffin as being in
violation. Mr. Stephens thought Ms.
Griffin would help him work through some of the violations and she could
document them along the way. Mr.
Stephens objects to some of the violations and others he does not. Mr. Swafford commented it appears Mr.
Stephens’ biggest obstacle is obviously the salvage permit. Mr. Swafford asked Mr. Stephens to read the
following: “To be completed by local
zoning board. I, the undersigned, verify
compliance with local zoning ordinance or other local ordinances for conducting
salvage operator business at the address cited above.” Ms. Griffin noted this is I.C. 9-22-4, All
Permits Required under State Law Have Been Secured. Even the recycling and solid waste sorting
require special exception through the Board of Zoning Appeals for an Industrial
2. When you use the Indiana permitting, this is what the zoning
would be based upon. Dan Swafford asked
if there was no way the Town could sign off.
Ms. Griffin replied with it 100% in the floodplain, the Town
cannot. This is from Town Code
152.296(J) passed in 2003. Mr. Stephens
said this is his objection as it has always been a salvage business since 1984
and he believes it should be grandfathered.
Ron Wayt asked if a permit would have been required. Ms. Griffin responded a salvage yard permit
is required by State law for this operation to be conducted. A permit process has to go through the
Secretary of State’s office. When an
application is received and the Town looks at its zoning codes the code issues
are listed. Dan Swafford asked Ms.
Griffin to read these violations into the records. Ms. Griffin read the violations as
follows: legally non-conforming use
salvage yard, recycle center, roll off dumpsters, new businesses added to
current locations. I.C.9-22-4, No valid
Indiana salvage motor vehicle business license on file with the State of
Indiana, “Grading without a permit or
site plan, detention pond, no site plan, zoning classification C-3, current use
requires special exception I-2 zoning class 152.085. Code stipulations under152.296 (I) (J)” Mr. Stephens asked if his business falls
under the salvage yard definition, possession of two or more inoperable for
more than 30 days, how many salvage yard permits will people have to get for
the Town of Ellettsville because he knows of a lot of places that have more
than two cars setting around.
Ron Wayt asked if Mr. Stephens has to request a
permit, what is the process? Ms. Griffin
stated the Town would look at the zoning classifications. Phillip Smith stated the way he sees it, the
biggest problem right now is being in the floodplain because anything that runs
from the vehicles flows right into Jack’s Defeat Creek. Phillip Rogers stated the business has been
there for 24 years and he knew Roger New.
Roger New ran a salvage yard and as far as he is concerned Mr. Stephens
should be grandfathered in. Regardless,
it would be between Mr. Stephens and the Department of Natural Resources if
they want to pursue it. The main problem
is it is in a floodplain but it has been there for 24 years with no
objections. Mr. Wayt asked Ms. Griffin
when the Town’s stormwater inspection is.
Ms. Griffin said the inspection has been changed to March 2011. Ms.
Griffin further noted this cannot be approved at this time because of the State
application. Mr. Wayt stated being that
the business is in a floodplain, there isn’t going to be a way around it. This will cause a problem with the stormwater
inspection in March 2011. Ms. Griffin
stated there is a lot of grading that has transpired in the area without
permitting. There has never been any
communication between the business and the Planning Department that she could
locate. Further, there have been lots of
changes in that location which can be seen with the Google images. The State permit is what you have to keep in mind
and the Industrial 2 Special Exception being located 100% within the floodplain
and within 1,000 feet of a residential area.
Phillip Rogers stated when Mr. New built the business it was right next
to a disposal plant that stunk so bad you didn’t have to smell it you had to
taste it. Nobody else wanted it to be
there so no one complained about it. As
far as Phillip Rogers is concerned the complaint should have been generated 24
years ago and not wait until the man has an established business, then come
back on him and say look you can’t be there anymore. Ms. Griffin stated the Planning Department is
responsible for complaints and when they receive complaints they have to act on
them or they would be held accountable.
When you argue the Town has been negligent in enforcing, you are actually
arguing a case called “Latches”. Ms.
Griffin read the following statement from the Town’s attorney, “When a resident argues that the Town hasn’t
been enforcing its ordinances in the past so why should he be compelled to
comply with the ordinances now. He is
really arguing Latches. The town has
neglected to enforce the ordinance and it should have been diligent. As you can see from the case in hand the
courts have determined that the public interest is generally served by barring
the defenses of Latches and equitable estoppel.
So, in other words, one can’t normally argue that he shouldn’t have to
obey the ordinances because the town is just now getting around to enforcing
the ordinance.” So, the Town of Ellettsville has the
right, according to the Town’s attorney, to enforce this particular case. Sandra Hash noted all of the stormwater laws have
come about in the last decade as well.
Ron Wayt asked if Mr. Stephens files his application and the State says
okay then would he have to go to the BZA.
Ms. Griffin noted the BZA would hear a special exception but you have to
remember that the BZA cannot grant this particular use with the stipulations
that it states in our code. Mr. Stephens
asked if the complaints are public information.
Ms. Griffin responded they are not.
Mr. Stephens further noted he knows all of his neighbors and nobody has
complained. Dan Swafford asked what we
do from here. Mr. Stephens cannot apply
for a salvage permit because the Town cannot sign off on it. Ms. Griffin suggested Mr. Stephens go ahead
and go through his application process and when it is returned to the Planning
Department, the Town Attorney will review the information and that would assist
the Town. When we discussed a property
we are currently enforcing on State Road 46 on Temperance, the resident’s home,
the Town gave him a 60 day abatement.
Dan Swafford clarified Ms. Griffin
was saying for Mr. Stephens to go ahead with the permit and then before he can
send it to the State it has to come to the Planning Department. Ms. Griffin said yes, it has to go through
Planning and Zoning and code review. The
Town Attorney will look at our code, review the information that has been
recorded and then it will go to Town Council.
Ms. Griffin suggested a motion be made to state that the application
could be started and it would then come back through the appropriate protocol,
through zoning, and then Darla Brown would have a review and then it would go
to Town Council for review. Don Calvert asked
if Mr. Stephens could operate his business until then. Ms. Griffin responded that would be an
attorney question. Currently, it is Ms.
Griffin’s understanding from her research that it would be a legally
non-conforming use at this point and time.
The Town would need to give Mr. Stephens an abatement date. Phillip Smith asked if Mr. Stephens should
contact the DNR about the floodplain.
Ms. Griffin stated yes, he can contact the DNR. Mr. Smith asked who Mr. Stephens should
contact at the DNR. Ms. Griffin stated
the DNR could provide him with the same type of map she purchased from the
product catalog of FEMA and receive the future firms that have already been
established and they get issued on December 17, 2010. The current map from FEMA which she showed to
the Planning Commission shows Mr. Stephens located 100% within the floodplain. Phillip Smith asked if this was the map they
just came out with and Ms. Griffin responded yes. Rick Coppock asked Mr. Stephens if the
business was always called Ellettsville Truck and Tire when Mr. New had it or
was it Ellettsville Salvage or anything like that. Mr. Stephens responded it was Ellettsville
Truck and Equipment. Mr. Swafford stated
he thinks Rick is trying to see if there is any documentation at all that said
it was a salvage company back in that time.
Mr. Stephens replied he spoke with Mr. New and he said he still has
three permits he applied for in 1983, and he said salvage, trucks and all of
that was part of the talk with G.L. Chandler.
Sandra Hash asked Mr. Stephens if Mr. New was granted the permits he
applied for. Mr. Stephens said yes. Mr.
Swafford commented the permits would really help. Ms. Hash asked Mr. Stephens if the permits
Mr. New applied for were with the State.
Mr. Stephens said he did not know.
Ms. Griffin commented salvage permits are issued for a four year
periods. Ron Wayt asked if this was
something that had to be continually updated.
Ms. Griffin responded yes. Sandra
Hash responded we all want to be optimistic; she understands and agrees Mr.
Stephens has done a wonderful job. She
has lived at the same address since 1977, it’s just down the road from Mr.
Stephens and she had driven by it many times.
Ms. Hash has seen it when the water covered the whole area on both sides
of the road and she knows Mr. New put a trailer in there and blocked it up
pretty high for a long time as a temporary office because of his office
flooding. Then when Mr. Stephens came in
and remodeled, he removed the trailer.
Ms. Hash asked Mr. Stephens if he elevated his office. Mr. Stephens responded no and Dan Swafford
said his office is pretty high because it is upstairs. Ms. Hash said she thinks it is clearly marked
on the map that the property is in the floodplain and she has evidenced it
flood. She is uncertain when the road
was built and the new concrete bridge built in relation to when the water was
on both sides. Phillip Smith said he
lived on McNeely from 1981 until five years ago and he can remember the road
flooding but can’t remember how many years ago it had been. Ms. Hash knows there was a bad flood in 1994
and another flood before then. If the
State of Indiana
is not going to allow a salvage yard that has the potential to leak hazardous
material. Mr. Stephens has been
extremely careful draining fluids. Even
the pictures the Board has looked at are pretty neat for a salvage area. His
gravel areas are clean and nice. Ms.
Hash believes Mr. Stephens is trying really hard and you really can’t see it
from the road when you drive by. The only time Ms. Hash wondered about the
property was when the cars were stacked higher than the building. She could see the cars were stacked and
wondered what was going on. Ms. Hash stated
the residents want to keep Mr. Stephens.
They want him to be able to keep his business, but Ms. Hash thinks the
whole salvage yard issue is out of the Planning Commission’s hands. It is in the floodplain. Ms. Hash further commented she doesn’t want
to create false hope for Mr. Stephens by saying if you do this or do that it
may work. She does not see how it’s
going to work no matter what opinions the Board has for the salvage part. The roll offs may be a different situation
but Ms. Hash is uncertain because she doesn’t know the difference. Phillip Smith suggested as a fellow citizen
to check with the Department of Natural Resources to find out if they have any
suggestions on what Mr. Stephens can do.
It may be something as simple as bringing more dirt in. He wouldn’t leave any stone unturned. Dan Swafford said this is why he was asking
about the back half with Rick - if there’s any way that the salvage can be put
up there to get it out of the floodplain.
He told Mr. Stephens it would up to him to check out all of the options
and go from there.
Mr. Swafford asked if the Commissioners had any
further questions. Phillip Rogers said
his concerns are immediate. He doesn’t
want somebody from this community that graduated from this school, spends his
money here, hires people and pays his taxes to walk out of here tonight
effectively shut down now. The State is affecting
us and we’re trying to help him out. Mr.
Rogers wants Mr. Stephens to understand this.
Then, Mr. Stephens has to go through this long process, and while he’s
going through this long process, he is not generating an income at all, and
we’ve got three or four people or more - eight people that are not making a
living in this day and age. Mr. Rogers
further stated this isn’t right and the Plan Commission need to do something so
they can at least operate in some shape or motion because the State’s not going
to come back and pay all of those people their salary if they decide he can
stay there. Ms. Griffin stated she would
ask this question of Darla Brown because she is not the one to answer that type
of question. Sandra Hash stated whenever
you fill in a floodplain that takes a permit too, because if you’re in a floodplain
and you raise your land up, as Mr. Coppock stated earlier, that creates
problems upstream from you because that water has to go some where. So getting a permit to put fill in is not
real feasible either. Along Vine Street is a floodplain
and the church wanted to build there.
The church built on pylons so they didn’t affect the flow of water and
she doubts if Mr. Stephens will want to elevate his property above the floodplain. Ms. Hash reiterated she doesn’t want to build
false hope. Mr. Smith stated that’s why
he told him to contact the DNR. Phillip
Rogers stated he is like Ms. Hash and doesn’t want to tell Mr. Stephens there
is no hope in the world for it but thinks he needs to investigate all of his
options. This is why he was asking Rick
what it would take or redo the back half.
Mr. Rogers does not want to run a business out of Ellettsville – there
is no way. Mr. Stephens employs people,
pays his taxes here and we want to keep him here. Mr. Rogers further commented everyone on this
Board agrees they want to do what they can for Mr. Stephens but thinks the ball
is in his court. The Board can submit it
to the Council if it is necessary and the attorney can look at it also. Mr.
Rogers doesn’t think he would just leave it at that and thinks Mr. Stephens
needs to keep investigating as well.
Phillip Smith asked Mr. Stephens if he has a loan against that
business. Mr. Stephens responded it is
on contract. Mr. Stephens stated Mr.
Griffin had a picture of the retaining pond in the back. When he put the gravel down in the back, it
sloped away from the creek to the center and then slopes in the front from the
north to the south so it drains in that retention pond. Anything that would happen to be on the
ground as far as run off, which anyone is welcome to come look, would find
there isn’t anything on the ground. His
kids have to live here, hopefully their kids would, hopefully, live here and
that’s the difference between what it use to look like and what it looks like
now. So, any run off that’s happening is
going to the retention pond. Mr. Coppock
can come down and he’s more than welcome to come down and look at it and give
him any insight. As far as Mr. Stephens
being close to a residence, he believes he read somewhere fencing was an issue and
that it needed to be blocked. Ms.
Griffin stated it is in code that it does require fencing or some source of
vegetative buffer. Mr. Stephens stated
so the fencing is not an issue in that it is planned but right now it’s hid
behind the trees. Mr. New has already
expressed, and they’ve already made an agreement, for Mr. Stephens to buy the
rest of that land so it is looking to be a ten acre operation. If Mr. Stephens can’t get it zoned correctly he
is not going to buy the rest of the land.
They’re talking about a pretty good sizable operation.
Mr. Swafford asked for public comment.
Jeana
Kapczynski agrees the property looks
a lot better. She has lived here since
1978 and knows Mr. Stephens has done a really nice job cleaning it up. It looks
nice. Ms. Kapczynski asked if the
elephant in the room is the federal government.
She doesn’t understand the process.
If he fills out the application to the State for the permit and the Town
says it is okay is that going to trigger the feds to look at the floodplain? Ms. Griffin responded technically right now
she can’t approve it because of the Town Code.
Ms. Kapczynski asked if the State is then going to say Mr. Stephens has
to have an okay for the floodplain too.
Does Mr. Stephens have to have it signed off of the floodplain and all
of that? Ms. Griffin replied he will
have to have it signed off through her department and that would be the
beginning process. She has been in
discussion with Don Cloud, compliance officer for this particular division of
dealership, so she has been unable to get a couple of her questions answered as
of today. Right now, Ms. Griffin
believes this should be tabled and then let the legal counsel review the
information she has prepared and then Mr. Stephens can start his application
process. Ms. Griffin cannot say what’s
going to happen and isn’t going to guess.
Sandra Hash commented the floodplain maps have all been redone since
2008, after the flood. They have had public meetings and it’s been published
and they have been accepted. The Town, itself, got letters and there was a
period of time to dispute those floodplains.
No one from the Town Council or Planning Commission, that she is aware
of, tried to argue with the floodplains.
Now, those have all been reviewed and reset and Ms. Hash believes the
decision is beyond the local level. Mr.
Stephens asked if the public got letters.
Ms. Hash responded it was in the newspaper. Any legal notice is in the newspaper. It takes due diligence to keep up on everything
when you’re a property owner.
Don
Mullendore stated they have all been
there whipping a dead horse for the last 20 minutes. This man knows he has the floodplain problem
and knows he needs permits from the State. The heck with the State. Right now it is up to the Commission to not
cut Mr. Stephens out of his money and the taxes that go to this Town. He is saying why doesn’t the Town give him 60
days to get his act together. Table it
for 60 days and in that time the Town can do what they need to and Mr. Stephens
can get his act together to get his permits in.
Ms. Hash stated the Town hasn’t issued a cease and desist or anything
like that. Mr. Stephens has not been
asked to stop operations in any way. Mr.
Mullendore stated this is what the Commission is trying to talk about. This gentleman says it’s not fair for Mr.
Stephens to go out of here with not being able to work tomorrow and that’s
true. The way the economy is right now
you should be able to work with people instead of against them to try to get
them to go. If you give him 60 days to
get it done and you don’t get it done, that’s his problem. Then the Commission has done what they’re supposed
to do.
Robert
Lowers stated he is a resident of
Ellettsville. Mr. Lowers asked if the
recycling center falls under the same categories as salvage and in the same floodplain
just right down the street. Dan Swafford
asked if he meant the collection center for solid waste. Mr. Lowers responded yes. Rick Coppock commented the collection center
is an I-2. Dan Swafford asked Mr.
Coppock if the collection center was zoned correctly. Mr. Coppock commented yes. The history of the collection center is the
Town built what is the utilities building now which use to be the street
department building. The Solid Waste
Transfer Station came in and wanted to fill in the floodplain and build their
building. So when they applied to the
DNR, the DNR said the Town had violated the floodplain when it built the blue
building. So, the Town had to go in and
do a plan to equal out the amount of fill and cut. Then, back in the early 1990’s, the Town,
with the help of the Solid Waste District, had a big bulldozer grade a bunch of
the lower area off to equal out what they filled in with the utilities building
and the transfer site. Dan Swafford
asked if the current salvage collection site is not in the floodplain. Mr. Coppock responded no because it’s built
up through there. Sandra Hash stated if
Mr. Stephens purchased the additional land there is the possibility he could
move the dirt around to make a higher area and replace it with a lower
area. Ron Wayt stated the property is
still not zoned properly. Ms. Griffin
stated it requires DNR permitting. Rick
Coppock stated it is too far off the map.
Mr. Coppock further stated there are enough questions on what the
original business was back in the 1970’s and he is uncertain when it was
annexed into the Town. These are other
issues the Commission is going to have to take a look at to find out what the
original uses and permits were. Mr.
Coppock said Mr. Stephens could get statements from Mr. New and Mr.
Chandler. Phillip Smith asked if the
property was annexed at the same time as the whole stretch of McNeely on the
south side. Mr. Coppock stated it may
have been done when they did the treatment plant, he didn’t know. Sandra Hash stated the parcel may have been
annexed in the 1970’s, perhaps 1973. Ms.
Hash was reviewing some zoning this past year and remembers the garage area
being discussed. Mr. Coppock said the
zoning at that time would also need to be determined. Ms. Hash responded she could research the
minutes to find out if there was any discussion of the zoning or annexation.
Russ Ryle stated 1994 was the last big rain event where we had
6” of rain try to take Ellettsville off the map in one afternoon. Mr. Ryles asked Mr. Stephens what fill dirt
has he added on his property adjacent to the creek since 1994. Mr. Stephens responded he hasn’t added dirt,
just gravel. Then Mr. Ryles asked what
fill gravel had been added. Mr. Stephens
stated in the back lot he has added 6” on the edge to taper to the center. Mr. Ryles asked on the east side of Jack’s
Defeat Creek, if there is a small lot parallel to the place where Mr. Stephens
has some of his roll off stored. Mr.
Stephens stated yes, he purchased it off of Kent Robinson. Mr. Ryles asked Mr. Stephens if he had done
anything to change the level of that ground.
Mr. Stephens said he dosed out some old piles left over from Kent’s
dad and when Tractor Supply was being built they brought dirt to that
property. In the very back of the
property where they dumped concrete out of cement trucks for years, it has a
substantial pile. Without getting a
machine to breakup the concrete, Mr. Stephens was rolling and flattening it
out. There was quite a bit of the
concrete that rolled down into the creek and Mr. Stephens cleaned it up. Mr. Ryles stated right now the bridge is a
bottle neck and if there is another 6” rain, the bridge is going to be a choke
point for water coming, trying to get out of Ellettsville. Any additional elevation raised on other
sides of the creek causes other places the water can’t go. This will further
back flood water at critical times into the center of old Ellettsville. Mr. Stephens said he won’t argue that the
bridge is a choke point. Mr. Ryles
stated he believed he could have built a better bridge and he’s not an
engineer. Mr. Stephens said if anyone
wants to look at it, they can go to the south side and see how wide the creek
is. Then walk to the north side and look
how little the creek is. The State needs
to come and clean it up. Mr. Ryles
stated his concern is not so much what is being discussed at this meeting but
the broader picture of water flow and getting water out of Ellettsville. Mr. Stephens stated when they raised the road
they damned the water right on to his place.
Connie Griffin stated she had some photographs to show the starting
of the complaints. Mr. Stephens stated,
he’s not doubting Rick, but he grew up on the property every day, and he never
saw a bulldozer across the street rolling any ground to the top. Mr. Stephens saw it when it was getting built
and he didn’t ever see it get bulldozed up and moved to the top. Mr. Stephens stated he would need to see
proof of this. He grew up there and
every day and after school he rode his bike.
Dan Swafford asked Ms. Griffin what the photographs were. Ms. Griffin stated one photograph is of the
first day she received the first complaints in October. There was quite a bit of land disturbing
activity going on to the right which was to the east of Asher Fleet
Services. At that time, there was dirt
being dumped into the area fill which has raised the area. Ms. Griffin told the
gentlemen to stop what he was doing and she was advised at that time to make
them stop. There were no permits for the
grading of that area. Mr. Stephens
stated the area is the black top area leading into the property and not out on
the road. Ms. Griffin stated there have
been trees removed and the stumps are not to be removed because it makes the
soil insecure. There has been grading
conducted in this area without permit for quite awhile. Before the vote was taken, Dan Swafford asked
for last comments. Phillip Rogers said
he appreciated Mr. Stephens’ demeanor and approach. Mr. Rogers and Mr. Swafford thanked Mr.
Stephens. Phillip Smith asked Mr.
Stephens if he was raised in Ellettsville.
Mr. Stephens responded yes. Dan
Swafford asked if Don Calvert was his teacher. Mr. Stephens said yes. Then Russ Ryles said conflict of interest.
Sandra Hash thanked Mr. Stephens for all he has done because it looks so much
better.
Dan Swafford entertained a motion to table this issue
for 60 days. Phillip Smith made a motion
to table this issue for 60 days. Phillip
Rogers seconded. Roll Call vote: Dan Swafford – yes; Ron Wayt – yes; Don
Calvert - yes; Phillip Rogers – yes; Phillip Smith - yes; Sandra Hash –
yes. Motion carried 6-0.
Richland Bean Blossom
Community School
Corporation Jr. High
School Development – Bledsoe Riggert
Guerrettaz. Connie
Griffin, Daniel Butler and Bedsoe Riggert Guerrettazz.
Connie
Griffin, Planning Department, stated she and Rick Coppock have reviewed the
project. The project has minimum land
disturbance so a Rural 5 permit will not be required. This project is not considered new
construction but a redo of the pavement of the tennis court to convert it to a
parking area with 91 parking spaces.
Landscaping will be added that consists of ground cover, spreading
juniper and grasses, other trees will be added around the side and a rain
garden is located off to the side of the project area with grasses and
plantings. She did look at the site today
and the progress is very good. Phases 1
and 2 are moving right along and this project only exemplifies excellence in
work.
Daniel
Butler of Bledsoe Riggert Guerrettazz. Dan Swafford asked him why the tennis courts
were being torn out. Mr. Butler
responded the tennis courts are not in use any more. The pavement has significant cracks and
cannot be repaired with an overlay. The school also requires extra
parking. Sandra Hash commented the
school built new tennis courts behind the new elementary school. Daniel Butler explained the school has only
one area which is ADA
accessible by a ramp. Now, every
entrance to the building will have ADA
accessibility. The dimensions of the new
parking area are 120 feet, which is the same as the new tennis courts, and is
approximately 260 feet. There will also
be a remodel of the interior of the Junior High School. This will include new ceilings which includes
a new fire protection system throughout the whole building. The project will be bid in December and will
start in the spring. This will not result
in any new classrooms in the Junior High.
However, a project in the senior high will add five to six classrooms.
Dan Swafford entertained a motion. Phillip Smith made a motion to approve the
RBBCSC Junior High School Development. Don
Calvert seconded. Roll Call vote: Dan Swafford – yes; Ron Wayt – yes; Don
Calvert - yes; Phillip Rogers – yes; Phillip Smith - yes; Sandra Hash –
yes. Motion carried 6-0.
Animal
Ordinance
Connie
Griffin called
animal control to schedule a meeting.
She thinks it would be advisable to meet with them to find out what they
are willing to enforce based upon the contract before the Code is revised. Sandra Hash commented her daughter had been
bitten by a dog in 1994. At that time,
she approached the Town Council to make some animal control laws. Monroe
County called her and
said if you want to make your own laws, then build your own shelter and have
your own officer.
FEMA Code
Adoption
Connie
Griffin – this is a
mandatory code. The public hearing
notices have been published in the Journal for the Plan Commission and Town
Council. This is a procedural code
update to the floodplain ordinance. A
letter was mailed to the Town Council on June 17, 2010. The subject of the letter was the final flood
elevation determination and map revisions which will be effective in December
2010. Ellettsville must adopt these code
changes has required under Section 1361 of the National Flood Insurance Act of
1968 to show evidence of adoption of floodplain management regulations that
meet the standards of paragraph 60.3(D) of the National Flood Insurance Program
regulations of 44 CFR 59, etc. In order
for the Town to meet the particular time frame the Commission is to approve
this code update and then will go to the Town Council for the first reading to
be conducted and concluded by November 8, 2010.
The second reading is on November 22, 2010 and this will be under the
December 17, 2010 code change requirement.
Darla Brown currently has the ordinance for review and changes. The Town has received a second letter from
FEMA and based upon the hearing notices and the information they commended
Ellettsville for making the necessary efforts to implement the floodplain
management measures for the Town. FEMA also appreciates the Town’s cooperation
to ensure that our community’s floodplain management measures are approved by
the FEMA regional office by the effective date of December 17, 2010.
Dan Swafford entertained a motion. Phillip Smith made a motion to adopt the FEMA
code as stated by Connie Griffin. Ron Wayt seconded. Roll Call vote: Dan Swafford – yes; Ron Wayt – yes; Don
Calvert - yes; Phillip Rogers – yes; Phillip Smith - yes; Sandra Hash –
yes. Motion carried 6-0.
Signage
Issues, Potential Code Changes for November 2010 Plan Commission Meeting
Connie
Griffin is having
difficulty with some of the sign code.
This is an introduction and will be discussed more in depth at the next
meeting. The Town is having trouble with
off premise advertising so a statement needs to be added to the definition that
off premise signage is not allowed. It
was concluded with the code change that the Town was not going to allow off
premise advertising. Banners need to be
restricted from being placed on wood stands such as the Halloween Shop. The Town has agreed banners should be
displayed between two poles or pillars and this needs to be enforce and/or
clarified. The six square of real estate
signage needs to be enforced. The
sandwich boards to be placed in areas as not to obstruct pedestrian traffic is
an issue and there have been a couple of complaints. Yard sales signs displayed on utility poles
or Town owned property will be taken down and a $25 fine assessed. There are issues with lots of organizational
activity signs. There is possibly a
revision that needs to be done on the size of temporary inflatable signs and
banners in general. These are some of
the code changes which will be discussed next month.
Plat Review
Code Change November 2010 Plan Commission Meeting
Connie
Griffin, Planning Director.
To put the final plat review
back to Plan Commission is a minor change to the code. The code would then read “The Plan Commission shall have the authority to grant secondary
approval as long as the proposed plat submitted for secondary approval is
substantially in compliance with the preliminary plat approved by the Plan
Commission.” Right now, the code
states that “the planning and zoning
administrator under the authority given by the Plan Commission has the
authority to grant secondary approval as long as the proposed plat submitted
for secondary approval is substantially in compliance with the preliminary plat
approved by the Plan Commission.”
This will not be voted on at this meeting because a public hearing
notice will be posted stating there will be code changes.
Planning
Department Updates by Connie Griffin
Enforcement Violations
Don Mullindore: Dan Swafford
said Don Mullindore asked him before he left the meeting, due to medical
reasons, to request a 30 day extension. Connie Griffin stated this is a code violation of
152.257. A notice of violation was
served on October 7, 2010. Mr.
Mullindore could not request an administrative appeal before the Plan Commission
because he has not filled out an application.
According to Code 152.257, which this particular Code in general
regulations F, Legally Non-conforming Signs, has not changed except in couple
of areas which are mute because with the code changes it states “The sign shall not be relocated to another
place without going through the appropriate application process.” The history of Mullindore Guns and Knives is
as follows: the former director, Frank
Nierzwicki, attempted to collect the sign permit fee from Mr. Mullindore in
2008 when his business was located at 200 E. Association Eagles Landing. At that time, Mr. Mullindore would not pay
the sign permit fee. Don Lewis, former
Trustee, came into pay the sign permit fee to resolve the code violation since
Mr. Mullindore worked for him on occasion.
A sign permit was issued on March 25, 2008, for $0. Permit Number – no
permit was issued. It was traditional in
the 2008 sign permit process that Mr. Nierzwicki would issue the permit number
based on the receipt number. No permit
number was issued and a receipt was not attached to the document. All three of the original permitting
application copies are intact. Mr.
Mullindore does not have a sign permit.
Pursuant to the current Code, Mr. Mullindore would fall under legally
non-conforming signs. Ms. Griffin
reviewed Mr. Mullindore’s comments in recent emails. In an email to the President of the Town
Council stating that Ms. Griffin is involved in an act of extortion. The act or an instance of extorting an
illegal use of one’s official position or powers to obtain property funds or
patronage, an excessive or absorbable charge or something extorted. Mr. Mullindore calls Ms. Griffin incompetent
by not knowing his business address because his letter was sent to 307 W.
Temperance instead of 307 E. Temperance and because his business was referred
to Mullindore Guns. Further, Mr.
Mullindore states Ms. Griffin has committed an illegal act by taping a letter,
which is serving a notice of violation, and bypassing the postal system. Ms. Griffin called the Ellettsville Postal Clerk
and asked if it was illegal to place a returned letter in a new envelope and
tape it to the door of the person that should have received the letter. The clerk advised this is not an illegal act. This is also covered in Code Ordinance 10-07,
Code 152.267, Sign Enforcement Procedures and Fines, “The Ellettsville Planning Department shall issue a written order,
letter or posted notice of violation to abate, remove or repair the issue in
violation.” Mr. Mullindore ended his
email with a statement that he will be contacting the Indiana Attorney’s office
concerning Ms. Griffin’s enforcement actions.
The new code states administrative appeal. Mr. Mullindore states that due her
incompetence by not supplying the information needed for him to correctly argue
his side which is constitutional right.
A copy of the new code was hand delivered to him on September 2, 2010,
as well as the administrative appeal form.
Ms. Griffin had a past history with Mr. Mullindore and knew he would
want an administrative appeal. Based on
the email, a new letter was written today and was served directly to Mr.
Mullindore at his place of business, Mullindore Guns and Knives. The letter was addressed to 307 E.
Temperance. The letter states no permit has been issued. No application is on
file and the code violation of 152.257(F), General Regulations, is being
enforced. The next Plan Commission date
of November 4, 2010, is listed and if Mr. Mullindore, in fact, wants an
administrative appeal he can submitted a completed application on or before
October 20, 2010. This is required
pursuant to the administrative appeal form of ten days notice. If a sign installed without a permit an
abatement date is set for seven days after the notice of violation has been
served. Therefore, the abatement date is
set for noon on October 15, 2010. The
fine amount is a Class D ordinance violation and according to Code 1099, this
is a $100 a day fine not to exceed $500.
The fine amount will begin on October 15, 2010, if the sign has not been
removed from the Village Inn pole sign.
A permit costs $50. Ms. Griffin
advised Tom Orman wanted her to state that if Mr. Mullindore refuses to pay his
sign permit that he will pay it out of his own personal pocket which is the
same as the former trustee was willing to pay.
If Mr. Mullindore has a sign application on file and the permit issued,
then is sign would be legally conforming.
Ms. Griffin has asked Mr. Mullindore to provide a copy of his sign
permit if he has one and he has advised he does not need a permit. Phillip Smith commented if all the other
business have to pay the permit fee then Mr. Mullindore should have to pay his
fee. Sandra Hash stated Mr. Mullindore
has been given ample information and ample time as well as the appeal
form. He came to the meeting without
submitting the proper forms. Ms. Griffin
reiterated he was served with the violation this date and she is enforcing the
violation.
Privilege of the Floor – non-Agenda
Items
Russ
Ryle had
never heard of a secondary approval with regard to removing secondary approval
from the Director of Planning to the Plan Commission. He is also concerned that substantially is a
nebulous term. Mr. Ryles believes the
terms preliminary and final are the terminology that should be used.
Robert
Lowers has
lived at 1119 Main Street
since 2002. He is requesting to be
placed on an agenda for the purpose of requesting a couple of ordinances. One ordinance would be to look at back yard
habitat and the other would be an ordinance on the complaint system for the
Town. In 2004, he began a natural
habitat for wildlife. He has met with
the Planning Director regarding guidelines.
A habitat is defined as something that provides food, water, a place to
sleep and protection from harm’s way.
Mr. Lowers enjoys watching wildlife in his back yard. Mr. Lowers is requesting guidelines for back
yard habitats. Dan Swafford asked what types
of complaints have been received. Mr.
Lowers has not personally received any but the Planning Department has received
complaints. Mr. Lowers has a federal
license to have a back yard habitat. Ms.
Griffin believes the back yard habitat will fall under the new landscape
ordinance. The consistent complaint is
tall grass and weeds. Ms. Griffin is to
schedule an appointment with Mr. Lowers to compile the information for the Plan
Commission packet.
Adjournment
Dan
Swafford entertained a motion to adjourn.
Phillip Rogers made the motion to adjourn. Phillip Smith seconded. Dan Swafford adjourned the meeting at 8:12
p.m. The next meeting will be November 4,
2010 at 6:00 p.m.