A proposed storage facility in Hamlet has prompted town officials to reevaluate the town’s zoning map. Andrew Spite approached the town’s zoning board last week, seeking permission to build a 20-unit storage facility next to his apartment building on Indiana Avenue west of Starke Street.
After reviewing the town’s zoning map, board members determined that the property would have to be rezoned from single-family residential to commercial, before a building permit could be approved. A public hearing would have to be held, as part of the process.
But beyond that, Board President Dave Kesvormas noticed several issues with the map. “We have to update the map, basically,” he said. “This map here that we’ve been using by precedence has been in place since 2005, and it’s a number of years old. It’s time to change it, and it was even wrong then, too.”
Kesvormas pointed out that in many cases, the map didn’t reflect the land uses that were in place when it was drawn up. For example, the site’s existing structure had already been converted into an apartment building, but the site was designated single-family residential. Similarly, the east side of Starke Street was apparently zoned for local business, even though it mainly contains houses. It also leaves off the storage facility north of U.S. 30 that has been annexed into the town.
Rather than rezoning just the one property, board members decided to use the opportunity to update the town’s entire zoning map. Engineer Lee Nagai suggested holding a work session for that purpose.
