Latest news with #UnifiedDevelopmentOrdinance
Chicago Tribune
03-08-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Porter County moves to define ‘barndominium' housing category
In a move not unfriendly to barndominiums, but designed to help them better coexist with more traditional forms of housing, the Porter County Plan Commission voted unanimously Wednesday evening to forward a favorable recommendation to the Board of Commissioners that it pass a resolution better defining the housing category and how it may be situated on a property. 'As a principal, we don't object to these,' said Porter County Director of Development & Storm Water Management Mike Jabo. 'They can be quite attractive, but they can also be quite large.' He gave a presentation that included artist renderings of a variety of barndominiums, both small and large, and started off by dashing the fallacy that they are pole barns. 'That's false too,' Jabo said. 'It can be metal. It can be stone. It can be wood. 'We're trying to compare these things with the footprint they consume,' he added. 'The UDO (Unified Development Ordinance) is very silent on these kind of structures.' Porter County Building Commissioner Mike Haller said the popularity of barndominiums rises and falls with the state of the economy. He said he tends to field calls from young people looking to build housing for less, but in the end the finished product rarely costs less than traditional housing. 'They're very nice. They're very safe,' he told the commission. Jabo and Haller said Porter County has only approved around seven barndominiums so far. Under the proposed ordinance chapters 2, 5, and 12 of the UDO would be amended to give guidelines on barndominiums in the General Agriculture (A1), Prime Agriculture (A2), and Rural Residential (RR) districts in unincorporated Porter County. After considerable discussion, during which the eight plan commission members present were each given the opportunity to raise questions, concerns, and comments, it was agreed to recommend the proposed ordinance in its draft form. Porter County Attorney Scott McClure stressed that the label of barndominium was technically unimportant as the percentage of the structure given over to storage was the true classifying characteristic. The proposed ordinance reads, 'The attached non-residential utility space of the structure that is greater than fifty percent (50%) of the total structure footprint is considered to be a Barndominium.' It also explains that the residential portion of the barndominim is typically characterized by large, open space with high ceilings. Minimum setbacks in the A1, A2, and RR districts will be 100 feet at the front, sides, and rear, while barndominiums adjacent to residential districts R1, R2, R3, R4, or RL will have setback requirements of 200 feet on adjacent sides of the structure. 'The farther away you are from something, the shorter it looks,' Jabo explained. Minimum lot size is as set forth in districts A1 and A2 and a minimum of five acres in RR districts. Minimum lot width as proposed is 250 feet and maximum height as proposed is 35 feet with the typical exceptions for agriculture districts. The non-residential utility space portion of the structure may not exceed 75% of the total footprint and garage or indoor vehicle parking is not included in the residential portion of the calculation. Plan Commission members were concerned with a few issues: aesthetics, how modifications to barndominiums or even existing traditional residential structures might surpass the 50% limit, and residents attempting to run businesses out of barndominiums. 'The aesthetics was a question,' said Board of Commissioners Vice President Ed Morales, R-South, who sits on the Plan Commission, 'but with the 100 ft. setback I think it's a good first step.' 'I like the 50/50,' added Plan Commission President Rick Burns of the living to storage ratio. 'I don't think we should go over 50%.' Member Pamela Mishler-Fish was concerned that as barndomiums changed hands they might become appealing to those looking to run businesses where they live. 'It could be a totally different situation than what it started out as,' she said. Fellow commission member Craig Kenworthy was skeptical on that front. 'How do you tell somebody, 'You can't run a business'? That gets really muddy to me.' Haller said nine times out of 10, people running businesses do so from a separate structure. 'I probably know of one that's attached to the house,' he said. Commission member Luther Williams asked if a homeowner could house horses in a barndominium and McClure confirmed that was an acceptable use. The proposed ordinance and the commission's recommendation for approval now moves on to the Board of Commissioners for consideration.
Chicago Tribune
26-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Porter County culls 35 employee dependents from health insurance because of ineligibility
Thirty-five dependents of Porter County employees will be eliminated from the health plan July 1 after a recent dependent verification process aimed at protecting the county from unqualified expenses and unforeseen liability. The Porter County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on the removal at its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday morning, with Commissioners President Jim Biggs, R-North, absent. Representatives from General Insurance Services (GIS) and American Fidelity explained that the process began March 10 with a communication to employees about the upcoming audit. Such audits are done every two years, according to Commissioner Barb Regnitz, R-Center. Aram Touloukian of American Fidelity explained that seven rounds of communication were sent to employees asking for documents verifying eligibility of the dependents in question. Eight did not participate or complete the required documentation, 12 did not have sufficient documentation, and seven are spouses who qualify for health insurance on their own. Touloukian said it costs $4,700 per year for the county to add one dependent to the plan. The removal of the 35 ineligible will save the county not only $150,000 to $160,000 annually, but could also protect the county if someone technically ineligible became a high-cost claimant. The county has a separate insurance stop-loss policy that takes over claims after an individual tops out of the standard plan after $175,000 in claims. If that insurance provider asked for verification of qualification and a claimant failed that qualification the county could be responsible for those medical bills. 'So we have a number of dependents who have hit the stop-loss level?' Regnitz asked. 'Oh, absolutely,' replied Employee Benefits Advisor Candace Arvin of GIS. 'I think that's what we have to protect our plan from happening,' Regnitz said. She confirmed with Arvin and Touloukian that employees may reenroll any qualifying dependents during open enrollment in the fall, should they be among the 35 who failed to supply adequate documentation. In other business, commissioners gave Information Technology Director Lee Childress permission to set up a fund for additional appropriations that would be necessary if the County Council gives its blessing to an additional $400,000 expenditure for the purchase of 250 computers that will be necessary to run Windows 11. Windows 10 will stop receiving security patches in October and the computers purchased in 2007 to run it will not support the new software. The board also unanimously approved a zoning map amendment of the Unified Development Ordinance allowing Heartland Christian Center in Morgan Township to change the zoning of 10.7 acres from low-density single-family residential (R1) to Institutional (I). The property in question is for the development of the future Sunshine Center, planned as a recreational facility for the disabled and their caregivers. 'We're in the process of getting going,' said Heartland Pastor Phil Willingham. Finally, during approval for NWI Activists/NWI NOW to hold their next two 50501 protests on Sunday, June 29, and Thursday, July 17, the petitioners were asked by Regnitz to speak with members of their groups. 'I am getting photos of the event, and some of them are inciting violence,' she said. 'Are you talking about the 86 47 ones?' NWI NOW Director Deb McLeod asked. 'Yes,' she replied. The women explained it is a commonly used restaurant term that means to remove or eject an item, as from a menu, when it has sold out, and that they would not condone violent rhetoric at their events. The term has been under scrutiny since former FBI Director James Comey used the phrase recently. The implication is that he was referring to President Donald Trump. Merriam-Webster Dictionary says the term has taken on its police and military meaning of 'to kill.' 'Did they perceive that in the same way when they were spouting '86 46?'' McLeod asked of those sending complaints to Regnitz. 'We're not going to have another presidential election for a couple years, so to say we'll get rid of 47 now, the implication is violently,' Regnitz insisted.
Chicago Tribune
19-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Who should endorse nightclubs becomes topic during Waukegan City Council meeting
A number of Waukegan's 69 taverns or restaurants with bars offer their customers entertainment in one form or another but none of the establishments are nightclubs as defined by the city's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) approved in a 6-3 vote of the City Council last July. Ald. Lynn Florian, 8th Ward, expressed concern at Monday's City Council meeting that Encore Events was about to receive a nightclub endorsement from Mayor Sam Cunningham. The ordinance gives him the sole right to approve an endorsement. Florian said Encore was denied a nightclub endorsement by the council last year. She and a majority of the colleagues did not think it was appropriate then and she has not changed her mind. 'My (8th Ward) residents overwhelmingly did not want a nightclub there due to the history of the previous nightclub. There was a murder in the parking lot. The fact that it's nestled in a neighborhood and we had approved an assisted living facility on the same property,' Florian said at the meeting. Cunningham has no intention of giving Encore or any other applicant a nightclub endorsement on its liquor license in Waukegan any time soon until he takes an in-depth look at how the UDO treats nightclubs. 'I'm going to hold off on any nightclub endorsements until we have a better understanding of who can and can't have them,' Cunningham said Tuesday. 'We have a new ordinance out there. We need to know the background of people asking for a nightclub endorsement.' Both under the former regulations before the UDO was enacted and the current rules, any business serving liquor — nightclub or not — needed a liquor license. Cunningham said the difference is a nightclub imposes a cover charge on all patrons while a tavern offering entertainment does not. By the time an individual operating a restaurant or bar receives a liquor license, Cunningham said, the person is thoroughly vetted before the City Council votes to approve or reject the application. The police department, as well as those responsible for reviewing business and liquor licenses, must approve. Before the UDO became law just under a year ago, Cunningham said someone who wanted a nightclub endorsement had to get a conditional use permit. The permit requires additional steps that are no longer necessary. In addition to getting a liquor license to serve alcoholic beverages, before the UDO, an applicant for a nightclub endorsement was required to make its case to the Waukegan Planning and Zoning Commission for a recommendation before the council took a vote. Florian said she thinks the City Council should have a say in whether a nightclub endorsement is granted to a business rather than leaving it to the mayor. She thinks a liquor commission, rather than the mayor — state law makes a mayor the liquor commissioner — should make the decisions. 'I believe this is something that should be the decision of the council,' Florian said. ' The alderman of the ward should have a say.' With the council already approving a liquor license for an individual seeking a nightclub endorsement, Cunningham said he is comfortable taking the information gleaned from the police, the fire department, business licensing, and the liquor staff and deciding whether or not to issue the endorsement.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
June 9-13: Ottawa to interview admin candidates, Zeeland to host hearing on Mead Johnson
In 2025, The Sentinel is providing a weekly round-up of the biggest topics in upcoming municipal meetings, giving our readers a chance to engage with their local officials on the projects, appointments and decisions that hit closest to home. These round-ups are written on Fridays, and will not include an agenda if one hasn't been posted by 1 p.m. Municipalities are not required by the Michigan Open Meetings Act to provide an agenda in advance of a meeting, but they are required to provide notice. Please visit your local municipality website for the most updated information. Here are the biggest topics for meetings Monday-Friday, June 9-13: Planning and Policy Committee: 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 10, at the Ottawa County Fillmore Street Complex An agenda was not immediately available Finance and Administration: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 10, at the Ottawa County Fillmore Street Complex An agenda was not immediately available Board of Commissioners Special Meeting: 9 a.m. Thursday, June 12, at the Ottawa County Fillmore Street Complex A meeting to interview candidates for Ottawa County Administrator Board of Commissioners: 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 12, at the Allegan County Services Building An agenda was not immediately available Holland Board of Public Works: 4 p.m. Monday, June 9, at the Holland Board of Public Works Service Center The agenda includes: Consideration of a motion to approve a Resolution of Appreciation for Mutual Aid provided to HBPW by the Zeeland Board of Public Works, Hillsdale Board of Public Works, Niles Utilities Department, and Lowell Light and Power Consideration of a motion to approve a contract value increase with CTC Technology and Energy for $118,000 for Change Order #1, plus an additional contingency of $135,000, for a new total contract value of $764,951. Consideration of a motion to approve an increase in the EX2 Engineering and Construction Contract contingency of $300,000, for a new approved contract price of $17,864,961.20. Consideration of a motion to approve a contract with Utility Contracting Co. for Fiscal Year 2026. Read the agenda: Planning Commission: 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, at Holland City Hall The agenda includes: Review of Unified Development Ordinance Section 39-2.16 Industrial Zone District and Section 39-3.13 Building Envelope Overview Table Consideration of a rezoning request and site plan review from Resthaven for 740 College Ave. and 49 E. 32nd St. and 11 E. 32nd St. The plan includes constructing a building addition, a parking lot, a driveway entrance and to combine all three properties into a single PUD. Consideration of a special land use request and site plan review for 1033 Lincoln Ave. The plan includes a Speedway fuel station, a seven-slot auto canopy and a full access driveway. Read the agenda: City Council Study Session: 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 11, at Holland City Hall The agenda includes: An update on Windmill Island Gardens from General Manager Matt Helmus Read the agenda: Board of Public Works Board of Commissioners: 3:30 p.m. Monday, June 10, at the Water Warehouse Meeting Room An agenda was not immediately available Cemetery and Parks Commission: 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 11, at Zeeland City Hall An agenda was not immediately available Planning Commission: 6 p.m. Thursday, June 11, at Howard Miller Community Center An agenda was not immediately available An expected public hearing for a rezoning request at 605 and 633 E. Main Ave. — submitted by applicant Mead Johnson as part of a draft expansion plan City Council: 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 9, at Saugatuck City Hall The agenda includes: Consideration of a motion to change the city's fee schedule Consideration of a motion to enter closed session to conduct an annual personnel evaluation of the city manager Read the agenda: Planning Commission : 6 p.m. Thursday, June 12, at Douglas City Hall An agenda was not immediately available Planning Commission: 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, at Fennville City Hall An agenda was not immediately available Board of Trustees: 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 11, at the Port Sheldon Township Offices The agenda includes: Consideration of a motion to approve a resolution for firefighter Olivia Ohlman Consideration of a motion to assume and assign a contract for Pierce Pumper/Tanker Consideration of a motion to approve the MERS Surplus Division Consideration of a motion regarding extra storm clean-up compensation Read the agenda: Board of Trustees: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 12, at Park Township Offices An agenda was not immediately available Planning Commission: 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, at Zeeland Township Hall The agenda includes: Consideration of a site plan review from T Bosgraaf Homes for a 9-unit condominium development at 7400, 4394 and 7386 Byron Road Read the agenda: Township Board: 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 11, at Laketown Township Hall The agenda includes: Hearing a report from the Laketown Parks and Recreation Commission Updates regarding the municipality's manager search A discussion regarding options for Wolters House A discussion on short-term rentals Read the agenda: Township Board: 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, at Ganges Township Hall A public hearing regarding the proposed budget and property tax millage rate Township Board: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, at Overisel Township Hall An agenda was not immediately available Board of Trustees: 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 11, at Saugatuck Township Hall An agenda was not immediately available — Cassidey Kavathas is the politics and court reporter at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at ckavathas@ Follow her on Twitter @cassideykava. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: June 9-13: Big meetings coming in Ottawa County, Zeeland, Holland
Chicago Tribune
14-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Union Township residents show up in force to protest data centers proposed for rural community
The Porter County Expo Center was a mass exercise in solidarity Tuesday evening as over 1,000 Union Township residents crammed into the main ballroom to vehemently oppose two data centers proposed for Wheeler. The sea of orange T-shirts that read 'Wheeler Country Not Corporate' covered nearly every body in the 530 chairs, while hundreds more stood on three sides around them. That visual message was audibly reinforced at a deafening level as the crowd cheered their neighbors who spoke against the proposal and booed a NIPSCO official and other business leaders who spoke in favor of it. The town hall was organized by the Porter County Plan Commission as an extra step not required by state statute to allow petitioner QTS to hear the questions, concerns, and feedback from residents as it finesses its application for a planned unit development that would allow for changes to the county's Unified Development Ordinance through a vote of the Board of Commissioners. While the Plan Commission will run the majority of the application process it is strictly an advisory body, meaning it will take a vote to make a non-binding favorable or unfavorable recommendation to the Board of Commissioners which has the final say. 'I know a lot of people are impatient and they want it to stop now,' said Porter County's Director of Development & Storm Water Management Mike Jabo, 'but there's a process.' The proposed projects are being called Jeremiah A and Jeremiah B. Jeremiah A is proposed for a 351.85-acre parcel at the northeast corner of County Road W 450 N and County Road N 750 W owned by John Loxas of Hammond. Jeremiah B is proposed for 434.46 acres owned by Johnson Sunnybrook Farm, LLC and Ceres Cedar Creek Farm, LLC, of Hobart, at the southeast corner of W 450 N and N 650 W due north of Union Township Middle and High schools. QTS, a Kansas City-based data center owner, operator, and developer, was given 45 minutes to make a presentation. The formal petition came from AXPK, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, on behalf of the property owners who would transfer ownership upon adoption of the ordinances. Attorneys for AXPK filed papers with the county naming QTS as an affiliate. Nick Blessing, of the land policy and development department for QTS, started off with a lot of talk about core values. 'Integrity, character, and trust are foundational to every relationship,' he said while two women who live in Union Township and serve the children in the cafeteria at Union Center Elementary chuckled over his remarks in the middle of the audience. Upon his mention of QTS taking a team of boys from one of its data center towns to the Little League World Series someone in the audience muttered, 'He's gaslighting.' To talk of the installation of a 50-foot American flag on a 'Freedom Wall' another said, 'Oh big deal!' And to his claims that the company's data centers provide 'very skilled labor jobs' and 'highly skilled technology jobs,' someone shouted, 'That's a lie.' Blessing said 125 to 175 full-time permanent jobs were anticipated at the sites upon completion. He also said the county could expect $10 million in tax revenues upon full buildout. He then passed the presentation to his colleague Chris Kapper of the predevelopment team who addressed a series of particular concerns, including building height, setbacks, and site lines. Building height in the proposed light industrial zone would be 75 feet, plus additional height for mechanical equipment. 'We understand that is what is causing some angst,' Blessing said. A 32-foot landscaping berm with a 5-foot elevation change from the road level is proposed. 'We envision you will be able to shield the view of the development at maturation in about 10 years,' he added. He explained that setback plans have been expanded to 2,000 feet from the nearest school building, 1,000 feet from the nearest ball field, 100 feet from agriculture, 200 feet from residential development, and 500 feet from school property. The audience was unimpressed. After a few brief remarks from Blessing regarding noise and EMFs the meeting was turned over to public comment. What had been planned for two hours eventually stretched 45 minutes over schedule as moderator and Plan Commission President Rick Burns failed to maintain control of the event. While the audience was originally told each speaker would be given a maximum of two minutes to speak, some were haphazardly given up to five because they were deemed to have special status, such as a physician, or the crowd demanded they be allowed to continue. Rex Richards, president of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, spoke first. 'I'm here to compliment the county on going through this type of process,' he said. 'If you need to hire experts to help please consider doing that.' NIPSCO's Rick Calinski, director of public affairs and economic development, got big boos when he introduced himself next. He said NIPSCO's Generation Company is pursuing the separation of the cost of infrastructure for large projects like data centers from that of regular customers. Several county officials were in attendance, including the entire Board of Commissioners, Treasurer Jimmy Albarran, and County Council members Red Stone, R-1st; Michelle Harris, R-At-Large; Mike Brickner, R-At-Large; and Andy Vasquez, R-4th. Vasquez was the only one to speak. 'If it comes to me for a vote for an abatement, my answer is no,' he said. Speakers made a variety of points including statements that the project would not be a data center, but a hyper-scaled data center the size of many WalMarts and that Blackstone, which is considered by many to have contributed to the 2008 housing crisis, bought QTS in 2021. Porter Township School Corporation Superintendant Stacey Schmidt joked that despite Union Township Bearcats being their arch-rivals, her community did not support a data center being thrust upon them. 'Parents send our most precious asset (to school),' she said. 'School safety is lacking in your presentation.' Union Township resident Chris Navetta summed up the ethos of the crowd. 'I've moved here for this and I've never been more proud of Wheeler. These are your constituents.'
