Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Chesterton BZA welcomes granite fabricating and plumbing businesses

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By JEFF SCHULTZ

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.

 

Posted 12/30/2014

 
 
 
 

 

 

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