Amid concerns about traffic impacts on nearby subdivisions, the 76-lot Scianna subdivision has been put on hold for a month by the Porter County Plan Commission.
Havyn Holdings, developer of the subdivision to be built on the east side of County Road 100 West between Indiana 2 and Carlisle Lane in southern Center Township, agreed to the delay at Wednesday’s Plan Commission meeting so a traffic study could be conducted.
Residents of Tuscany subdivision, immediately east of Scianna, expressed concerns about cars from Scianna traveling through their subdivision to go to Heavilin Elementary School.
Connecting sidewalks between the two subdivisions would be fine, they said; they just don’t want vehicular traffic.
The Plan Commission rejected the developer’s request not to build sidewalks along 100 West. Havyn had argued that the sidewalk would connect to adjacent properties that also don’t have sidewalks.
“As silly as it might look now, it might not look that way 15 to 20 years from now,” said County Council member Ronald “Red” Stone, who sits on the Plan Commission.
As parents drop off and pick up kids at Heavilin, vehicles back up onto 100 West, residents said.
“If all those kids in that one subdivision go to Heavilin School, there’s going to be a traffic jam,” resident Dorothy Krause said.
Mike Jabo, executive director of the Department of Development & Storm Water Management, recommended putting a pedestrian-activated flasher to cross the road safely at 100 West.
The construction of Heavilin Elementary changed the traffic dynamics in that area, County Commissioner Ed Morales, who sits on the Plan Commission, said. “I’m not satisfied with the safety of this.”
Some residents, along with Plan Commission member Craig Kenworthy, asked about stormwater drainage from the subdivision.
, who lives in Tuscany subdivision, showed pictures of flooding behind homes in his subdivision and wanted to make sure it isn’t worsened by construction of Scianna. He was assured that wouldn’t be the case.
In other action, the commission denied a request to vacate an easement between two lots on Grandview Avenue in the Valparaiso lakes area.
Brenda Deal, who wants to sell her house there, learned her garage and shed might be encroaching on the right of way, based on GIS maps.
The 1914 plat anticipated a road or alley that was never built. It wouldn’t make sense to do so now because it wouldn’t connect to anything.
But Jabo said there might be a water main on that right of way, based on an old map, so the utility wants to have access to it if it does exist.
Rather than having to move the buildings, Jabo suggested determining whether that 8-inch water main actually exists and, if it does, propose an encroachment agreement for the Board of Commissioners to approve since it’s technically public property.
“It’s the burden of the homeowner that they know their property lines that their house is built on,” Jabo said, which explains why the prospective buyer wants the issue clarified before the 1989 house is sold.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
