Chesterton will
gain one business and keep another after the Town’s Board of Zoning Appeals
on Monday unanimously approved a pair of use variances for HP Granite and
Trapmasters Plumbing LLC.
HP Granite
Patrick and Tammy
Poland, owners of HP Granite, said they think the site of the former Pioneer
Lumber buildings on Pioneer Trail next to Strack and Van Til on CR 1100
North will be “a great location” for their stone fabrication business.
HP Granite, a
subsidiary of HP Construction Inc., which is looking to acquire the Pioneer
property, has been in business for about two and half years in Portage and
is starting to outgrow their current location. The Polands said they will
operate the business the same here with a fabricating shop for granite,
marble and quartz.
All work Ð cutting
and edging - will be done indoors, Patrick Poland said. He
mentioned that later the business also plans to put in a showroom.
Attorney Greg
Babcock said that the 2.66-acre lot has three storage buildings and the
former Pioneer Lumber showroom and office had been bought by Duneland
Community Church a few years ago. Pioneer Lumber still rents a space from
the church which it uses for contracting, he added
One storage
building sits farther to the east is in poor condition and here are plans to
have that demolished, Babcock said.
Patrick Poland said
business hours will be 6 a.m. to about 2 p.m. for the fabricators and
showroom hours will be later into the afternoon. Traffic should be light and
trucks will come by about twice a week to deliver slabs of material.
A use variance is
needed from the BZA to allow HP Granite to build their showroom in a
Business-3 zoning district.
Babcock said he
believes the proposal of the granite business fits in to the town’s
comprehensive plan to increase economic activity and eliminate vacant
buildings.
“I think we have an
excellent opportunity to bring in a new business,” he said.
BZA members said
they were fine with the petition and granted the variance by a 4-0 vote,
agreeing “it fits the site.”
A public hearing
was held but no one from the public showed up to remonstrate or support the
petition.
Trapmasters
Plumbing
Next, Trapmasters
Plumbing owner Brian Bartoszek said he hopes to close on the sale of the
property at 1720 Wood Street from Andrew and Dawn Gatewood with a use
variance from the town. Bartoszek intends to convert the property into a
full-sized plumbing business and add a small showroom.
Trapmasters
Plumbing currently has an office on Plaza Drive but Bartoszek said the new
location has more room for him to store supplies and has a loading dock,
which will save him time and expense in bringing in new materials, he said.
The business would
have business hours of 7:30 a.m. to about 4:30 p.m.
The Wood Street
property is located in a Residential-3 district and a use variance is needed
since the building is not set up for residential use.
Babcock, also the
attorney for this matter, said the building was built in 1978 and has been
used off and on by automotive businesses. It sits on a lot no bigger than
half an acre, he said.
Babcock recommended
the board approve the petition so the building will no longer sit vacant.
“We have somebody to put in place,” he said.
BZA president
Rodney Corder said it “seems like a good use of the property” to him and
member Fred Owns concurred saying “I think (the property) is tailor made for
it.”
BZA member Thomas
Browne said he’s happy to see Trapmasters will be staying in town.
The board voted 4-0
in favor of granting the variance. No one spoke in favor or against the
variance during the public hearing.
Farewell to BZA
member
Before adjourning,
members expressed their best wishes for outgoing member Sid Niepokoj, who
was unable to make the last meeting of the year because he was out of town.
BZA member Thomas
Brown said Niepokoj “was a pleasure to work with” and provided him with good
guidance when he was a “rookie” on the board.