Local officials are moving forward with steps to adopt new planning jurisdictions for Bartholomew County and Columbus.
The Bartholomew County Plan Commission has forwarded two favorable recommendations to the Bartholomew County commissioners, a recommendation to revise the county’s future land use map and a recommendation to revise the county’s zoning map.
The changes are the result of the city of Columbus’s recent decision to sell Otter Creek Golf Course to Architerra, LLC. The Columbus Plan Commission voted in February to approve revisions to the city’s planning jurisdiction due to the sale.
The eastern boundary line of the city plan commission’s jurisdiction will move from approximately half a mile east of State Road 46 to the vicinity of County Road 500 East. Areas that will become part of the county’s jurisdiction include Petersville, Clifty Farms, Highland Ridge and the Meadows at Otter Creek.
Planning officials have also decided to revise the commission’s north boundary line as well. Certain properties are bisected by the current jurisdiction line, so the commission is pulling back its jurisdiction so that the whole of those properties will be part of the county’s jurisdiction, City-County Planning Director Jeff Bergman said earlier. Heritage Heights, Harvest Meadows, Oakcrest and Colony Parke are among the areas that will be affected by the change.
As stated in the city’s resolution, these changes will either be effective one year from the closing date of the Otter Creek sale or upon the completion of the county’s changes to its future land use map and zoning map to include these areas, whichever comes first.
According to the Columbus/Bartholomew County Planning Department, the proposed zoning districts for the Otter Creek area primarily include Agriculture: Preferred and Agriculture: General Rural, with Public & Semi-Public Facilities zoning proposed for the Bartholomew County Highway Department facility, Clay Township Fire Station, and former Bartholomew County landfill property.
Properties at the intersection of 25th Street with State Roads 9 and 46 are proposed to be zoned either Commercial: Community or Industrial: General.
In discussing this intersection, Bergman told the county plan commission that he heard from the McGuire family, which owns parcels at 14154 E. State Road 46 and State Road 9 North. The former is the location of Kirts Truck Repair, while the latter is vacant.
Planning officials had previously contemplated rezoning almost all parcels at this intersection to industrial, with only Gilliland Trailer Sales and Marathon Gas being kept as commercial properties.
However, the McGuire family indicated that while they appreciate rezoning the trucking business as industrial, they would like to keep their other property zoned commercial.
Planning officials have revised the proposed zoning map to reflect this request, said Bergman. He does not know of any plans for the vacant parcel and speculated that the owners may be trying to “keep their options open.”
“These properties were all zoned commercial under the city’s jurisdiction for the last however many years, 30 years, 20 years,” he said of the intersection. “This is probably a location where we’re going to see a mix of things that are a little more on the commercial side and then some of these more industrial uses. So honestly, over time, I could see some of these parcels moving back and forth between these two zoning districts.”
For the northern areas moving out of the city’s jurisdiction, Residential: Manufactured Home Park, Residential: Single-Family 3, and Commercial: Community zoning is proposed along the U.S. 31 corridor. Properties beyond that corridor are proposed as either Agriculture: Preferred or Agriculture: General Rural zoning.
While Columbus and Bartholomew County have distinct land use planning and zoning jurisdictions, they coordinate on the zoning regulations and districts through the adoption of a shared zoning ordinance. Therefore, the zoning regulations that will apply following the transition from city to county jurisdiction will not be substantially different, except for areas where the zoning districts are being changed.
This includes the intersection of 25th Street with State Roads 9 and 46. The Bartholomew County Highway Department facility, Clay Township Fire Station and former Bartholomew County landfill are being rezoned from agriculture to public facilities.
As for the future land use map, this is an element of the county’s comprehensive plan that guides land use by designating areas within the county’s jurisdiction as agricultural preferred, natural resource/recreation, general rural, or a development district.
The proposed amendments to the this map show new areas of county jurisdiction near Otter Creek Golf Course as primarily agricultural preferred or general rural. Otter Creek Golf Course is proposed to be designated as a natural resource/recreation district. The area at the intersection of 25th Street with State Roads 9 and 46 is proposed as a development district.
In regards to the new northern boundaries, the following changes are proposed:
- The U.S. 31/I-65 corridor is proposed to be indicated as a development district.
- The Driftwood River floodplain is proposed as a natural resource/recreation area.
- The Oakcrest neighborhood area is to be agricultural preferred.
