Dr. Joseph Griffin and later Dr. Carolyn Beyer Pearson both used the building at 419 S. Jackson Blvd. as medical offices for 40 years.

Now, Justin Hodges who lives nearby wants to give the place a $50,000 renovation and move his Dunes IT Consulting, LLC business there. The building, owned by P.W. Special Needs Trust and located a half-block north of Porter Avenue, is in a Residential-2 zoning district.

Hodges and his attorney, Greg Babcock, made a preliminary presentation to the Chesterton Board of Zoning Appeals last night; voting 5-0 the BZA set a public hearing for Aug. 26.

Hodges said his firm serves small businesses and most work is done at their locations on-site although the few clients who would visit there would have adequate parking. Babcock said Hodges would agree no retail sales could take place at the site.

A second public hearing was set for Aug. 26 for Gus and Carol Gustafson, who seek to construct a 10-foot by 12-foot storage shed behind their 337 Brown Ct. home in the Pere Marquette Cottages subdivision, which is characterized by narrow lots.

"There’s not a whole lot of room between houses,” observed BZA member Sig Niepokoj.

The shed would be 4 feet 4 inches too close to the home so a variance is required. A second variance also is needed because the shed would sit 4 feet from the side-yard lot line instead of 5 feet.

Also Thursday, two public hearings were conducted and both petitions were approved unanimously, the first granting permission for Bradley and Christabel Thomas of 819 Olde Towne Square to erect a 6-foot tall fence paralleling Sand Creek Drive. Town code limits fences adjacent to a public right-of-way to 4 1/2 feet.

Bradley Thomas said the couple need a fence as protection for their toddler son due to the proximity of Sand Creek Drive.

Neighbors Mike Marmolejo, Mary Jo Chabala and Mike Bannon spoke in favor of the fence height during a public hearing; there were no remonstrances.

Two of the speakers cited a berm near the Thomas property that creates a need for a taller fence. “If I’d construct one I’d certainly want it 6 feet,” said Bannon.

BZA member Fred Owens recalled similar height variances were granted for some fences in Olde Towne.

Also approved was a variance for Gretchen Gallardo, who sought to reduce the rear-yard setback from 25 feet to 11 feet for planned construction of an enclosed screen porch at her 402 Eagle Nest Dr. home.

Her attorney, Mike Anderson, said even after construction of Gallardo’s porch her buildings will cover only 24 percent of the lot or less than the 30-percent maximum coverage. He noted the rear of her property abuts an open area along a path.

Letters from two neighbors and one from Sarah Brown representing the Villages of Sand Creek Property Owners Assoc. were presented in support of the variance request. No one spoke for or against in person, but Criselda Martinez asked if Gallardo planned to build a pool. Anderson said no.

In other business, Owens said the Advisory Plan Commission is moving forward with its months-long update of the town comprehensive plan and a public hearing will be scheduled in the coming weeks.

Posted 7/23/2010