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March 6, 2008

Elks Club land passes first rezoning test

By Brian M. Boyce

TERRE HAUTE — A proposed recreation facility shot a hole-in-one at the zoning round of its development Wednesday night.

The Vigo County Area Planning Department unanimously approved rezoning the Terre Haute Benevolent & Protective Elks Lodge 86’s property at 3350 N. Fourth St. from R-1 to C-3 Wednesday night.

The Vigo Hospitality Group Limited Liability Corp. will seek final zoning approval from the Terre Haute City Council next week.

Richard Shagley, attorney for the organizations, told board members that Vigo Hospitality Group LLC wants to “maintain the presence and ambiance of the place” in its development.

The 126-acre property includes 27,887 square feet of building space, with a golf course, bowling alley, tennis courts, swimming pool, restaurant and banquet center.

Shagley said planned improvements include a driving range, miniature golf course, medical spa and fitness center.

The property had been grandfathered as R-1, meaning a single-family residential district, despite the scope of the Elks facility, said Jeremy Weir, executive director for the plan commission. Changing the zoning to C-3 enables it to serve as a regional commercial district.

Shagley said “the community can feel safe” that the developers have no interest in converting the property into a shopping center or other commercial venture.

“There will be no commercial housing development,” he said, explaining that the Elks facility requires a lot of updating and repairs, but that the investors’ goal is to make a full-spectrum family recreation center accommodating all ages and interests.

Weir’s office offered a favorable recommendation on the rezoning, writing in their report that “a regional recreation and health fitness center on the north side of the city of Terre Haute will add to the overall mix of uses available to the city residence.”

With the commission’s vote, the City Council will determine final approval at its March 13 meeting.

• In other business, the group unanimously approved rezoning a location on the western corner of Arleth Street and Wheeler Avenue, commonly known as 2901 Arleth St., from R-1 to R-3.

Kyle Bach spoke on behalf of Mecca Co.’s proposed four-story, multifamily apartment building to serve residents over age 55.

An R-3 zoning is a General Residence District, which allows for multifamily development, according to commission documents.

Bach acknowledged concerns raised about parking by the Terre Haute Board of Zoning Appeals earlier Wednesday.

As proposed, the project would provide 80 parking spaces for the 80-unit facility, but some board members expressed concern that it would not be enough and that cars would end up parking in the streets.

County Commissioner David Decker made a motion to approve the rezoning subject to its passing the BZA’s parking concerns.

Weir, whose office had offered a favorable recommendation for the zoning, said that the issue at hand Wednesday was not whether or not the development would occur, but rather whether the property should be allowed to maintain a higher level of residential structures.

Bach agreed to have his group re-evaluate parking for the facility and noted that an additional 20 spaces probably could be worked into the mix, if needed.

Bach said 10 percent of the units will be designated for handicapped individuals, and an additional 5 percent for individuals with chronic homelessness.

The group also unanimously approved the conversion of a section at 7000 Erie Canal Road from A-1 Agriculture to A-1, M-O Mining Overlay with the proposed use of a temporary borrow pit for materials from road construction.

Land-owner Dennis Kerns said this particular parcel “has been in our farm for years,” but noted that it’s been surrounded by railroad lines.

Neighbor Margaret Fuson questioned whether this usage would affect her water quality, which she said is already poor.

Weir said this development would not affect the water quality, noting that “the water problem you have here is the railroad tracks.”

Board president Fred Wilson said the Department of Natural Resources would be responsible for testing the water quality, but that was not germane to the topic of zoning changes.

Decker added that he had grown up in an area nearby and noted that the water quality there always had been poor.

Weir’s office offered a favorable recommendation and the board voted to approve the zoning change.

Brian Boyce can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.

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