The members of the Starke County Planning Commission continued a public hearing Tuesday night at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in Knox to hear comments concerning the rezoning of several hundred acres from residential or light business to agriculture for all uses permitted in the agriculture zone.
The land in the requested parcels is typically used for agriculture, but is zoned residential. The rezoning requests were made on behalf of Starke Solar LLC for the potential installation of solar panels on the parcels.
The properties are located in California and North Bend Townships. Two sections owned by Mark A. and Diane Kolish totaling about 139 acres are west of U.S. 35 south of County Road 600 S. in Knox and south of County Road 800 S. in Monterey. One section owned by the Edna M. Bope Trust totaling 34 acres is on the east side of U.S. 35 at 800 S. About 280 acres of land owned by Swanson Farms is located in a section of land south of Bass Lake west of 700 E., and 164 acres of land owned by Welker Ag Properties, LLC is north of the Swanson property west of 700 E. near Bass Lake.
The petitioners for the rezoning asked the Planning Commission to approve it for the proper agriculture use and allow flexibility for the agriculture zoning for potential solar panel installation.
Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Larry Wickert noted that the properties were zoned residential for future development years ago, but the land serves an agriculture purpose.
Many of the residents around the Bass Lake area and affected adjacent property owners who received notice of the rezoning public hearing said they were “indifferent” on the rezoning issue, but did not want to see any potential solar panels installed near the lake. They discussed environmental concerns with rezoning the Welker and Swanson parcels and wanted to ensure the preservation of that land and the integrity of the health of the lake.
Planning Commission member Todd Lawrence clarified that the rezoning request means that the zoning allows the current agriculture practice to continue on those properties, and gives those landowners the ability to lease out the land for solar use, if preferred.
In the end, the Starke County Planning Commission members voted in favor, by a majority vote, of rezoning the acres farthest from the lake. A motion to vote in favor of the rezoning of the Swanson property died for the lack of a second and the Welker rezoning request was denied with a 5-3 vote.
The decisions made by the Starke County Planning Commission will now go before the Starke County Commissioners for final consideration in a public hearing.
