Councilman proposes revisions to house plans

Hobart Councilman David Vinzant wants to toughen up an ordinance to make sure any new house built in the city doesn’t adversely impact the neighborhood.

The councilman presented his proposed revisions to an ordinance Jan. 3 that would require site and drainage plans for any new home to be built that would include the house’s elevation and grading.

The revised ordinance would also allow neighbors to submit a letter from a local Realtor saying whether the proposed house would have a negative impact on the surrounding houses and would require a survey be done to ensure the house is built in the right location on the lot and at the approved elevation and grading.

“I want to know what the house will look like when it’s done and make sure it’s done that way,” Vinzant, D-4th, told fellow Plan Commission members.

“I want to know what the elevations will be and how it will impact water,” he said.

He said he wants to make sure no new house built will result in neighbors’ property values decreasing.

He said he’s sent his proposed revisions to the city attorney and Mayor Brian Snedecor and asked that Plan Commission members provide input.

“It’s still a work in progress,” he said.

Vinzant referenced a new house, which he said was built on top of a hill.

“Maybe it was not done cor- rectly, or maybe we need to do something differently,” Vinzant said.

Building official Mike Hannigan said there currently is no rule in the city saying how high you can go with building a house.

Plan Commission member Stuart Allen suggested there be a checklist for new home construction so departments and residents are aware of requirements.

In other matters, the commission approved a site plan for an O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store to be located next to Tractor Supply at 4427 E. U.S. Route 30 and tabled a request by owner Cameron Bernard to amend his previously approved proposal to build storage warehouses at 7190 Grand Blvd.

Bernard wants to change the order in which two of his warehouses would be built and asked that one of the warehouses be increased to 30-feet wide instead of 20 feet.

A resident who lives immediately south of the warehouses has complained to the city of water on his property as a result of the project.

“Something is not right with their retention pond. It’s causing a lot of problems that need to be addressed,” Hobart city engineer Phil Gralik said.

Allen said the entire drainage plan would need to be redone to make Bernard’s proposed changes work.

The city’s MS4 coordinator, Tim Kingsland, recommended the matter be tabled while the drainage is still under review so the issue can be resolved.

Karen Caffarini is a freelancer.