By a 6-2 vote Wednesday, the Porter County Plan Commission gave primary plat approval to a proposed three-lot subdivision in Jackson Township.

Rilan Acres is proposed on 20 acres on the west side of 400E south of 1000N in Jackson Township. The developer is John Arndt.

Plan Commission members who voted against plat approval were Robert Detert and Robert Harper. Voting in support were Tim Cole, Elizabeth Marshall, Herb Read, Kevin Breitzke, Rick Burns, and Kristina Parker. Member Rita Stevenson was absent.

Also Wednesday, the plan commission forwarded to the county commissioners a proposed tree preservation ordinance that would apply to new developments in unincorporated Porter County. Under review for about a year, the proposed ordinance is aimed at minimizing the loss of trees in new developments. The proposal calls for developments to submit a tree survey and inventory with development plans or subdivision application, as well as a conservation plan that strives to preserve all specimen trees and certain large non-specimen trees.

The ordinance was forwarded to the commissioners with an exemption for the county drainage board, which requested the exemption since it often has to remove trees as part of drainage projects. The commission formed a committee made up of Cole, Read, Breitzke, Burns and Executive Director Bob Thompson to further study the drainage exemption.