Planned Unit Development approved for Lanesville area

A cluster of patio homes and mini-warehouse storage units are planned for west of Lanesville.
Developer Rick Pflanz’s request to have property at the end of Barron Avenue rezoned from A-R to a Planned Unit Development (PUD) was unanimously approved Thursday night by the Harrison County Advisory Plan Commission.
‘I’m elated to see cluster development,’ said Vic McCauley, who chairs the plan commission. ‘I’ve been wanting to see that for a long time. You have the infrastructure in place.’
Pflanz and engineer-surveyor Paul Primavera, who presented the proposed project to the commission, said the two-bedroom homes ‘ about 1,300 square feet ‘ will be constructed of brick and are designed for ’empty-nesters,’ Pflanz said.
‘The number of homes proposed are less than what would be allowed under current zoning,’ which is B-1 and R-2, Primavera said.
There will be sidewalks in the neighborhood, and there will be a fence, not to exceed six feet high, along the rear property lines.
A subgroup, which includes some plan commission members, Primavera and Harrison County Engineer Darin Duncan, are to meet at the site to OK drainage from the property. (Water run-off in that area south of Scenic Drive has been an issue for the past several years.)
Also, Pflanz is proposing a connector road between Barron Avenue and Scenic Drive, which lines up almost perfectly with Crandall-Lanesville Road.
‘Some day there might be a stop light there’ at that intersection, he said.
Pflanz views the PUD as ‘an asset’ to the Lanesville area and anticipates proposing a similar PUD for the Corydon area in the near future.
‘I think this will be a real hot item in Lanesville,’ said plan commission member Larry Ott, who lives in northern Franklin Township.
The Harrison County Board of Commissioners will hear the request at its meeting on April 19 at 7:30 p.m.
A request for a major subdivision was tabled last week to allow the applicant/owner time to redesign the layout.
Jearl Eckart, who was represented by Primavera, wants to develop 11 residential lots on 23 acres on the east side of Black Chapel Road between Buck Creek and Spring Hills Estates subdivision.
There was some concern about the grade of the proposed entrance road and it was suggested the entrance be located in a different area.
‘If the plan commission would rather see that layout, we can bring it back next month,’ Primavera said. ‘We would have to vacate a portion of (Spring Hills).’
As part of its public hearing next month, the docket will include vacating a plat in Spring Hills Estates.
R.W. Properties was given the go-ahead for developing six lots on 13.6 acres. The property, approved last year as a Planned Unit Development, is located on the southeast corner of S.R. 135 and Watson Road.
Last week was a secondary review of Robert Walker’s PUD ‘ named Asher Heights ‘ which prohibits single-wide mobile homes but allows double-wides and modulars. Walker is required to appear for one more public hearing on the request before he can begin construction.
In other matters, the plan commission:
* Made no recommendation to a request made by Mark and Trina Wise to sell firearms from their home. The plan commission expressed concern about whether Wise has legal access to her property, located at the end of Spring Branch Road, east of New Salisbury.
* Made no recommendation to a request by Paul and Patricia Powell to create a lot without road frontage south of Depauw. The Powells already split their property to give acreage to two sons.
* Gave a favorable recommendation to a request by Noel Hockersmith for a repair and maintenance garage for construction equipment and motor vehicles at property on the northwest corner of S.R. 64 and Bird Trail in Spencer Township.
* Gave a favorable recommendation to Sidney and Janice Bond’s request for a home occupation (massage therapy) at 480 Rocky Meadow Road in Jackson Township.
* Gave an unfavorable recommendation to a request by Hoosier Outdoor Advertising to relocate a billboard along S.R. 135 near Sky Aire Road.
These five special exception requests will be heard by the Harrison County Board of Zoning Appeals on Thursday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Room of the Harrison County Court House.