Two planning meetings

On Monday evening (1-23-2017) the Jasper County Plan Commission met. They elected the same officers for 2017 as they had for 2016 and they decided to move the March meeting, if needed, to March 20 to avoid a conflict with spring breaks for local schools.

The first item on the agenda was a rezone from residential to agricultural for land in Wheatfield Township. This item had originally come before the Commission in July (see the background here) and  because there were questions about the archeology of the site, had been continued until a survey was done. The item was back on the agenda again in September and continued, and now there was a request to continue it until the March meeting. The Commission voted to deny the continuance. That means the process, including notifying neighbors, must start again. The Commission felt that too much time had elapsed since the case began and that those interested in the hearing would not be aware of it.

The second item was a rezone in Walker Township but the petitioner had not gotten the notice in the newspaper by the appropriate time so the case could not be heard.

The Commission voted to have a public-comment item added to the agenda for future meetings.

Below is a picture of the Babcock Quarry, which has no relation at all to anything else in this post. Here is a link to a picture of the quarry in early August, 2016. The water has risen noticeably since then.

On Tuesday night the Rensselaer Advisory Planning Commission met to discuss an amendment to the original platt of the Biddle Subdivision, which is located south of the CSX tracks on the east side of Mattheson Street. The developer, James Shanley, wanted to combine ten lots that front Mattheson into five lots. The original lots were 80' by 120' and the new lots would be 160' by 120', which would make them a bit less than half an acre each. The proposed change was approved unanimously.

This was a new group for me. I do not think they meet often.