A local woman plans to develop an auxiliary building at a former church site in southern Bartholomew County into a restaurant and cafe.
The Bartholomew County Board of Zoning Appeals voted on Oct. 23 to approve a use variance request from Cari Roberts to allow a restaurant known as The Annex on property zoned agriculture: general rural at 9250 S. State Road 58 in Ohio Township. The board also approved Roberts’ request for a development standards variance in regards to signs.
According to a report by planning staff, the 1.55-acre property includes a former church building, an auxiliary building, a detached garage and a gravel parking area.
Roberts envisions two phases to the project. Phase 1 is the redevelopment of the auxiliary building into a dining establishment with coffee, breakfast, lunch and possibly dinner. The establishment would have outdoor seating and a drive-thru “for those early moms and dads taking their kids to school or off to work in a hurry,” her application stated.
She also told the board that her plans for outdoor features include a children’s area and fire pits, as well as possibly activities such as table tennis.
Planning staff wrote that Roberts’ application was only for Phase 1.
For Phase 2, she hopes to eventually turn the former church building into an event center and restaurant.
“I envision a higher end type of restaurant, with a ‘speak easy’ type of feel in the basement,” she said. “The church would serve dinner only. Steaks, seafood and pasta would be the types of entrees on the menu. …”
She also said she hopes to preserve the church building, which was once the home of Ogilville United Methodist, as an important local landmark.
The board approved both of Roberts’ requests for Phase 1 subject to conditions. For the use variance, these included installing a buffer along the southwestern property boundary that abuts a neighboring residence, limiting additional lighting to fixtures with a 90-degree cutoff and providing verification that an adequate septic system can and will be provided on the property.
“There is uncertainty about the size, location, and condition of the existing septic system on-site,” county health officials told planning staff in their comments on the request, noting state septic approval will be required.
Additionally, as recommended by planning department staff, the board stipulated that this conditional use approval is limited to the redevelopment of the auxiliary building into a restaurant/cafe. It does not include Roberts’ future plans for the church structure.
For the development standards variance, the board’s approval included a condition that the restaurant’s sign must be limited to a freestanding sign of up to 50 square feet in size and 15 feet in height.
In addition to the conditions required by the BZA, the county health department told planning staff that appropriate fire safety upgrades will be needed to prepare the structures on site for commercial use.
A few neighboring property owners spoke out against Roberts’ plans during the time for public comment, citing concerns such as noise, traffic, impact on their property rights, property values, and a desire to keep the area rural and residential.
