Sewer concerns prompt rezoning petition veto

SOUTH BEND Citing environmental health concerns, the county Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted to veto an ordinance to rezone a piece of land on Indiana 23 to accommodate a retail development.

"I think we need to be sensitive about how we handle sewer in unincorporated areas of the county," Commissioner Bob Kovach, D-District 3, said after the meeting.

The water in the northeast part of the county, including much of Granger, already contains high amounts of nitrates because of the high concentration of septic systems in the area, according to the Health Department.

In an attempt to begin to address the problem, the Regional Water and Sewer District recently embarked on a $2.5 million sewer project in the Granger Business District.

In that environment, and on behalf of Frank Perri, KPS Concepts Inc. petitioned the county to rezone the property at 15684 Indiana 23 from Single Family District to Commercial District back in January.

Perri, a local developer, would like to construct a 9,000-square-foot retail building on the site, which sits on the south side of the road just east of Heritage Square.

Against the recommendation of the Area Plan Commission, and despite opposition from the county Health Department, the County Council approved the petition 9-0 March 13.

In opposing the petition, the plan commission cited the fact that the site does not have access to sewer or water, and that, as part of its comprehensive plan for the area, the city of Mishawaka does not intend to provide those services at this time.

"Therefore," the commission wrote in its report, "rezoning this property to commercial is premature at this time."

For its part, the Health Department expressed concern that the site, which totals about 2.15 acres, is too small to accommodate the type of septic system needed to support the proposed development.

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Sewer concerns prompt rezoning petition veto