OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bartholomew County Board of Zoning Appeals Approves Variance and Grants Continuance on March 23, 2026

Meeting Portal — Monday, March 23, 2026
BodyColumbus, Indiana
SessionMeeting Portal
DateMonday, March 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 27:27

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

I will serve as presiding officer of this evening.

0:03

Board is comprised of five members.

0:06

A quorum consists of three of the five, and a motion requires three votes to pass.

0:12

We'll begin with a roll call of the board and planning department staff in attendance this evening.

0:16

We'll start down here.

0:18

Jim Schock Board Attorney.

0:20

Mike Speaker.

0:21

Right.

0:22

Eric Site.

0:24

Melissa Bagley Planning Department.

0:26

That's where you all be planning department.

0:30

Michelle Cox, cut enforcement.

0:37

Okay, before we go any further, Melissa.

0:40

Are these on or yes?

0:42

They're on.

0:43

Okay.

0:44

Well, that one is green, so I thought maybe one.

0:50

Board members have received a report drafted by the planning department staff on each petition that we heard this evening.

0:56

Each item we will provide an opportunity for the public to speak.

1:00

When recognized, please begin by stating your name and address for the record.

1:04

We ask that you keep your comments related to this application only and try to avoid repeating points that have already been made by other speakers.

1:12

This is a judicial proceeding.

1:14

And remarks made by petitioners and members of the public are considered testimony.

1:19

I would like our staff attorney to swear at anyone, petitioner or member of the public who plans to present testimony on any of this evening's petitions.

1:27

But if you're going to speak to Steve, if you'd raise your right hand.

1:37

Do each you swear or affirm under the penalty of perjury.

1:41

The testimony that you'll give this evening would be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so say I do.

1:47

And when you do speak, we'll have you come to the table.

1:49

Make sure you speak loudly.

1:57

Okay, we're gonna start this evening with uh BGA 2020 BGA 26-1.

2:07

Uh Brian Jones.

2:10

Is there a representative of the applicant present?

2:14

You come forward and give you the name and address, please.

2:20

Yes, we asked for the property address and question on my residential address.

2:26

Yeah, my name's Brian Jones.

2:29

I reside at 19394 Blake Site Drive, Open the AM 47246.

2:44

And we will go to our staff report.

2:49

So looking at the property location, there's the site and the surrounding zoning.

2:54

It's all agriculture preferred in general in the area.

2:58

And so the variance request is to allow an accessory structure to be located on a lot without the primary structure.

3:08

So here's a look at site.

3:11

And the proposal is to construct a 3,661 square foot accessory structure, an outbuilding.

3:18

Um that would consist of a garage space, kitchen, full bathroom, and a living slash workspace.

3:25

And this is just an approximate location of where they want to build this outbuilding.

3:34

So this is looking into the subject site from the corner of 365 north and 1000 east.

3:43

And this is looking north at the proposed building location.

3:46

They've already had an approved um driveway put in on site.

3:53

And then this is looking west at the nearest neighboring property.

4:01

And this is looking east into the subject site, and they've also got their approved uh septic location.

4:09

And this is looking south across across 365 north from the proposed building location.

4:16

And this is your development standards variance uh decision criteria, and I can answer questions.

4:22

Anyone have any questions right now?

4:28

Okay, does the petitioner have anything they'd like to add?

4:34

Uh sure.

4:35

Uh first of all, we appreciate those raised uh compiled SAR report, and uh we agree with the findings on primary uh one and two.

4:45

So we uh like to focus a little bit more on criteria three.

4:49

Um, as as it's noted in the uh zoning map, this is right at the edge of the ATAG border and uh in AG um zoning district right across the the street.

5:03

Uh it's noted in the intent this district should also be used to provide unique rural housing options and the future ability to extend urban infrastructure.

5:11

So this is um what's being proposed is obviously this accessory structure with uh some uh no not necessarily living quarters, but it does have a bathroom and kitchen and whatnot that's meant to serve a future primary residence that would be located on that site to be constructed at a later date.

5:29

Um the smaller lot size for 4.57 acres uh does it limits its potential use from an agricultural viability, so we we feel like it is you know better suited for a primary residents that the applicant agrees in and hopes to come here in your future.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████48%
Zoning And Land Use██████████████████████████████████████40%
Code Enforcement███████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Bartholomew County Board of Zoning Appeals Meeting – March 23, 2026

The Bartholomew County Board of Zoning Appeals met at 7:00 p.m. on March 23, 2026, in Council Chambers at City Hall, Columbus, Indiana. The board approved a development standards variance, granted a continuance for a use variance, approved findings of fact for three prior cases, approved meeting minutes, and discussed possible enforcement of time-limited variances. All votes were by voice vote unless noted.

BZA-26-10: Brian Jones – Development Standards Variance

  • The board approved a variance from Zoning Ordinance Section 6.1(A) to allow a 3,661-square-foot accessory structure without a primary structure at 18170 East 365 North, Clifty Township.
  • The proposed structure includes a garage, kitchen, full bathroom, and living/workspace. Applicant Brian Jones testified that it is intended to serve a future primary residence and be used for equipment storage and a work area; he anticipated starting the home in 2027 or 2028.
  • The motion cited that staff found criteria one and two met, and criterion three was met by approved septic plans, ongoing house plans, and the prior existence of a house on the property.
  • No public comments were offered. The motion carried by voice vote.

BZA-26-15: PAF Excavating – Use Variance (Continuance)

  • The board granted a continuance to the April 27, 2026 meeting for PAF Excavating’s request for a use variance to allow an outdoor storage yard for a contractor’s office/workshop in the AG district at 7682 South 500 West, Ohio Township.
  • Applicant representative Jeremiah requested the continuance to address concerns in the staff report and a letter from a neighbor’s legal counsel that became available that afternoon.
  • The board clarified that no new public notice letters would be sent for the rescheduled meeting; notice is handled in-house. The motion carried by voice vote.

Findings of Fact

  • The board approved findings of fact for BZA-25-1 (Exclusive Cabins), BZA-25-5 (Silgas Realty), and BZA-25-8 (GFVT II), each by voice vote.

Approval of Minutes

  • The board approved the minutes of the February 23, 2026 meeting. Note: The agenda listed the minutes as being from the December 15, 2025 meeting; the transcript indicates the February 23, 2026 minutes were approved.

Discussion: Time-Limited Variances

  • Board member Eric Scheidt questioned whether the board could impose a condition making a variance null if not used within three years.
  • Board Attorney Jim Schock said enforcement has historically been challenging, but a new tracking system may allow better follow-up. Members discussed examples such as a barn conversion that never occurred and noted that enforcement typically relies on complaints.
  • No formal action was taken.

Meeting Transcript

I will serve as presiding officer of this evening. Board is comprised of five members. A quorum consists of three of the five, and a motion requires three votes to pass. We'll begin with a roll call of the board and planning department staff in attendance this evening. We'll start down here. Jim Schock Board Attorney. Mike Speaker. Right. Eric Site. Melissa Bagley Planning Department. That's where you all be planning department. Michelle Cox, cut enforcement. Okay, before we go any further, Melissa. Are these on or yes? They're on. Okay. Well, that one is green, so I thought maybe one. Board members have received a report drafted by the planning department staff on each petition that we heard this evening. Each item we will provide an opportunity for the public to speak. When recognized, please begin by stating your name and address for the record. We ask that you keep your comments related to this application only and try to avoid repeating points that have already been made by other speakers. This is a judicial proceeding. And remarks made by petitioners and members of the public are considered testimony. I would like our staff attorney to swear at anyone, petitioner or member of the public who plans to present testimony on any of this evening's petitions. But if you're going to speak to Steve, if you'd raise your right hand. Do each you swear or affirm under the penalty of perjury. The testimony that you'll give this evening would be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so say I do. And when you do speak, we'll have you come to the table. Make sure you speak loudly. Okay, we're gonna start this evening with uh BGA 2020 BGA 26-1. Uh Brian Jones. Is there a representative of the applicant present? You come forward and give you the name and address, please. Yes, we asked for the property address and question on my residential address. Yeah, my name's Brian Jones. I reside at 19394 Blake Site Drive, Open the AM 47246. And we will go to our staff report. So looking at the property location, there's the site and the surrounding zoning. It's all agriculture preferred in general in the area. And so the variance request is to allow an accessory structure to be located on a lot without the primary structure. So here's a look at site. And the proposal is to construct a 3,661 square foot accessory structure, an outbuilding. Um that would consist of a garage space, kitchen, full bathroom, and a living slash workspace. And this is just an approximate location of where they want to build this outbuilding. So this is looking into the subject site from the corner of 365 north and 1000 east. And this is looking north at the proposed building location. They've already had an approved um driveway put in on site. And then this is looking west at the nearest neighboring property. And this is looking east into the subject site, and they've also got their approved uh septic location. And this is looking south across across 365 north from the proposed building location.

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