Jasper Board of Zoning Appeals

Wednesday night’s Board of Zoning Appeals meeting in Jasper consisted of two public hearings for new construction. 

The first agenda item was a proposal by One Fish LLC, requesting a variance for property directly north of 501 3rd Avenue. One Fish sought a special exception under Chapter 4, Section 12 for B3 special exception uses of the city’s Unified Development Ordinance. The owner proposed the construction of an enclosed contractor’s warehouse and boat/RV storage facility in a B3 general business zoning district. 

One Fish owns the property of approximately 3.88 acres just to the east behind the Schnitzelbank, Denny's Auto, Swap Shop, Jackie's Travel, and Dollar General. The proposal included a simultaneous rezoning application to the Plan Commission to reclassify the southern portion of the property from R2 to B3, facilitating the special exception use. The property in question is bordered by existing B3 zoning to the south near commercial establishments like Denny’s Auto and Dollar General. The northern portion would remain R2, serving as a residential buffer to adjacent properties. 
 
During the public hearing, the owner of a neighboring property at 445 Third Avenue expressed serious concerns over the effect that a visible storage facility would have on his property value. After discussions with the petitioner and representatives, he indicated support for the compromise zoning plan that limits B3 rezoning to the southern portion and retains R2 zoning to the north. This compromise addresses buffer concerns and preserves residential character adjacent to his property. 

The request for the special exception was granted, contingent upon the approval of the Plan Commission and the acceptance of a proposed easement. Platting would also require easement verification of legal access. From there, the Plan Commission would either give a favorable or unfavorable recommendation to the common council, where the final decision would be made. 

The second item on the agenda was presented by James and Michelle Corbin for their property at 621 South 400 West, who sought three variances to construct a detached garage at their residence. The variances were to allow an accessory structure to be located forward of the front building line of the principal building, to allow an accessory structure greater than 300 square feet not consistent in style and materials to the primary structure, and to allow a minimum side setback of an accessory structure to be less than the required 15 feet. 

The property consists of approximately 3.5 acres on a private easement off 400 West. The proposed garage is a 30x40-foot, three-bay structure located northwest of their house. The location was chosen due to site constraints including steep slopes, geothermal lines, and a septic field. Having met the requirements for approval and with no objections from the public, all three variances were granted as presented.

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 - By Drew Hasselbring