DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Regular Meeting
February 22, 2008

M I N U T E S

 The regular meeting of the Development Advisory Committee was held on February 22, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. in the Porter County Administration Center, 155 Indiana Avenue, Valparaiso, Indiana.

 Those members present were Kevin Breitzke, Julia Martin, Kelly Cadwell, Harvey Nix, James Branham, Ray Riddell, Tim Cole, Mike Haller, Paul Graeber, Ray Joseph and Robert W. Thompson Jr.  Also present was Toni Byers.

 The following cases were heard by the Committee on this date:

 Case 08-2-3.  Petition of James Walker, 478 Ashford Lane, Valparaiso, seeking developmental review for manufacturing and assembly of small electronic parts and warehouse space in Lot 4, Archer Industrial Park, to be located at 413 E. Archer Way, in Washington Township.  Zoned I-2.  (Sec.15-35N-5W)

 Don Bengel and Tim Reisinger stated that they are representing the petitioner in this matter.   He stated that he thinks the industrial park was approved under the prior ordinance and that’s why they have a 20-foot setback on the one side.  This is for a light manufacturing facility. Right now, the petitioner has about three employees and he hopes to have a few more in 5 to 10 years.  He wants to construct Phase One right now and with that phase they have the parking lot as shown there.  In Phase Two, they would take out part of the parking lot and extend the building and that would be storage.  They are in a bit of bureaucratic hell with the state Health Department.  He would say that the County Health Department is absolutely right in what they want and the state is a different matter.  They hope to resolve that.  They’ve met with Mr. Joseph a few times on this.  The trickiest part is the landscaping, which he thinks they have worked out.  The whole site naturally drains toward the pond.  They’ll create a swale along the West property line and then a swale along the North property line down through that easement, as shown.  They will also run the subsurface drain for the curtain drain for the septic system in that same easement. 

 Ms. Cadwell stated that the main issue that the Health Department has with the site right now is that they submitted soil borings to the state and the state designed the septic system and, for whatever reason, the state designed it on soil borings that were located in the front of the lot, which are higher and drier and sandier.  The soil borings where the septic system is currently located are actually in hydric soils and they are quite a bit wetter, so the septic system is going to be larger and it will require a drain, and they are trying to hash that out.  They were looking for a swale to be constructed between where the building is going to end and where the septic is at to pick up any water there.  That is on the updated plan that she has.  

There are two phases and are the 15 employees that they mention for both phases.

 Mr. Bengel stated that that is the maximum.  That whole addition will be storage.   He only has three employees right now.

 Ms. Cadwell stated that they are going to assume they need a drain there.  If they are going to outlet into the detention pond, do they have an outlet elevation for the pond?

 Mr. Bengel stated that they do.

 Ms. Cadwell stated that they need to make sure that the subsurface drain outlet is above the pond outlet.   She thinks that the front of the lot would be a better location for the septic.

 Mr. Bengel stated that if you put it in the front, you’d have to stay back 50 feet.

 Ms. Cadwell stated, the soils, she understands; they are sandier and they are a bit drier.

 Mr. Nix asked if we are talking about a curtain drain or just a perimeter drain.

 Mr. Bengel stated that it’s a curtain drain and if the slope is great enough, they will have a curtain drain on the high side of the septic.  The 754 is the dividing line between the hydric and the non-hydric and maybe they could put a septic in the East of the parking lot, but that precludes him from doing anything in there at a later date, but they will speak to the owner about that.

 Mr. Nix asked if this is a private well.

 Mr. Bengel stated that it is.

 Mr. Nix asked where it is.  Is this all going to be asphalt down the whole parking lot?

 Mr. Bengel stated, yes.

 Mr. Branham asked if there will be any storage of acids or flammable fuels in the building.

 Mr. Bengel stated, no.

 Mr. Branham asked if this building will or will not be sprinkled.

 Mr. Bengel stated, no.

 Mr. Branham stated that his main concern is being able to get emergency vehicles in and the people there out. 

 Mr. Thompson asked if he could please show the proposed contours of the swale on the North side.  All information needs to be to the Plan Commission members 10 days prior to the meeting date.  It might not hurt if they could try to get a hold of the primary plat (done by another engineering firm) to add to the package.

 Mr. Breitzke stated that he was going to suggest that, too.  He might just come to the office and copy the file.  He has been unable to find the information he needs in the file for the 100-year storm.  Storage is in the pond itself, as opposed to the outlet.  They are above the outlet elevation and that’s not much of an issue, but he’s curious about how high the water gets in the pond.  We need more information about the swale on the North.  Are we okay on the number of parking spaces?

 Mr. Thompson stated, yes.

 Mr. Breitzke stated that they are not dealing with hazardous chemicals.  His concern is proximity to Hutton Ditch and what would happen if they didn’t have containment.  He asked what the zoning is.

 Mr. Thompson stated, I-2.

 Mr. Breitzke stated, but they are more committed to a warehousing, packing, assembly type of operation.  What do they assemble there?

 Mr. Bengel stated, little airplanes or cars.

 Mr. Reisinger stated, remote control cars.

 Mr. Riddell asked if they plan on putting in radiuses at the driveway.

 Mr. Bengel stated that it’s a 30-foot drive and if they require it, they will put some in.

 Mr. Riddell stated that it seems that he recalls that 400 E. is posted with a weight limit.  Will that affect this business at all?

 Mr. Reisinger stated, no.

 Mr. Haller asked what the dashed line is that runs through the middle of Phase 1.

 Mr. Bengel stated that that is what separates the office area from the storage area.

 Mr. Haller asked what the line is running through the middle of Phase 2 and then across the parking lot.

 Mr. Bengel stated that that will be the first phase of the parking.

 Mr. Cole asked where this lays on the original drawing.   He stated that it would have been nice just to have a little offset here to show that, an overall view as a reminder.  Although no hazardous materials exist in the assembly, there are probably going to be rejects and he would like to know how that’s going to be handled.  How much traffic do they see coming into this during the day – not necessarily employees, but supply trucks, delivery trucks.

 Mr. Reisinger stated, maybe one a week, every two weeks.

 Mr. Cole asked if they are going to be dealing with circuit boards.

 Mr. Reisinger stated, no.

 Mr. Cole stated that he hopes that the drainage figures for the parking lot are going  to be supplied. 

 Mr. Bengel stated that they didn’t plan to do anything there because the pond was designed, he supposes, for 75 percent coverage of the whole area.

 Mr. Cole stated, so, they’re just extending that, but, still, once again, a professional design would include that information.

 Mr. Bengel stated, only if they are designing a pond, but the pond is already there.

 Mr. Cole stated that he’s talking about the parking lot and the coverage.  How much drainage do they expect to provide to that area?  They are accumulating water and that has to go somewhere and they’ve got a pond and the pond was designed for the whole area.  There are figures missing.

 Mr. Bengel stated that that was all done at primary plat time.

 Mr. Cole stated, but we don’t have that here in front of the Committee now.  He would like to see that.  He stated that he is glad to see the Health Department representative back.

 Mr. Joseph asked where they are going to place the trash bin.

 Mr. Bengel stated, in the back of the building.

 Mr. Joseph stated, there needs to be something on the plat that it will be fenced and enclosed and the location of it.  Is this just going to be a metal structure?

 Mr. Reisinger stated, yes.

 Mr. Joseph stated that he should turn in the revised landscaping and the lot requirements, like how many trees per lot etc. and placement on the lots.

 Mr. Cole asked if there are any elevations available so we know what the building is going to look like.

 Mr. Bengel stated, no.

 Issues raised were subsurface drain outlet should be above pond outlet; septic would be better in the front part of the lot; on the North side, show the proposed contours of the swale; show radiuses for the road at the drive; suggest offset of where this sits within the whole subdivision; would like figures for drainage off the parking lot; show enclosure for trash bin and location of same; lot landscaping details.

 There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:25 a.m.