OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Lake County Plan Commission Meeting – March 18, 2026

County Boards & Commissions — Wednesday, March 18, 2026
BodyLake County, Indiana
SessionCounty Boards & Commissions
DateWednesday, March 18, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

All right.

0:07

All right, good evening.

0:08

I'm gonna call this meeting of the Plan Commission to order.

0:11

Uh, if we can all stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:18

And to the Republic for Stanford under liberty and justice for all.

0:27

Thank you.

0:32

The following is the emergency exit announcement in case of an emergency.

0:36

Commissioner's courtroom.

0:37

Proceed to the stairs, go to the second floor and exit the building.

0:40

Do not enter an elevator in an emergency.

0:42

If you require assistance, a plan commission employee will escort or assist you.

0:46

Please silence any cell phones during this meeting.

0:49

If you receive a call during this meeting, please excuse yourself with as little disruption as possible to these proceedings.

0:56

All right, pro call.

0:57

Randy D.

0:58

Meyer.

0:59

Rebecca Coast?

1:00

Here.

1:01

Christina Miller.

1:03

Jim Metro?

1:04

Here.

1:04

Can you say?

1:06

Here.

1:07

Here.

1:08

Frank Calvidis?

1:09

Here.

1:09

Jerry Tippy?

1:10

Here.

1:10

Bill and Resident Evil.

1:12

Here.

1:12

We have a quorum.

1:13

All right.

1:14

Communications.

1:15

Communications.

1:16

I there are some adjustments to be made to this evening's agenda.

1:19

And maybe jumping too far ahead.

1:23

No petition number nine under new business.

1:28

That's petition number 26-SE-02.

1:32

Crossroads Young Men's Christian Association incorporated the owner and petitioner.

1:37

The property is located approximately three tenths of a mile west of Chase Street on the north side of West 141st Avenue, also known as 3838.

1:44

What's 141st Avenue in Center Township?

1:47

The request is for a special exception from the unincorporated unified development ordinance.

1:51

Title 154, Article 16, Additional Regulation of General Applicability, Chapter 80, regulate for solid solid fill.

1:58

A special exception approval required.

2:01

The purpose is to allow the deposit of solid fill.

2:04

The reason for the deferral on this one is there was an uh requirement for Indian Department of Natural Resources Division of Water to provide their feedback.

2:19

Hoping that that report will be in hand to accompany the rest of the submittal for that request.

2:27

All right.

2:28

And I believe I'm not sure how item number one of our old business is being addressed.

2:37

I'll take that.

2:38

Okay, thank you.

2:39

We received so that everybody can hopefully everybody can hear me for the microphone because you see want to cooperate.

2:46

But we received a an email.

2:48

I received an email from Andy Quinnell, one of the petitioners for the item number one, Johnson Sunnybrook Farms regarding the data center.

2:57

And let me know that there will be a public forum, which they talked about last month before they were deferred.

3:05

April, let me see, make sure I get this right.

3:07

April 16th at the Lowell High School Auditorium at 6 p.m.

3:14

So if they're going to hold the public forum at that time.

3:25

Then I don't know how you feel about hearing this without that public forum taking place because we basically said that we would hold everything in abeyance until they did that.

3:38

Don't know whether you want to um defer this or table it or take it off the agenda in some manner.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use Planning█████████████████████████████████████████41%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████12%
Energy Development█████████9%
Procedural████████8%
Public Safety█████5%
Environmental Protection█████5%
Agritourism Regulation█████5%
Zoning Regulations████4%
Community Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Lake County Plan Commission Meeting – March 18, 2026

The Lake County Plan Commission met on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 5:30 PM. The meeting covered a range of items including deferrals, subdivision approvals, waivers, and study sessions on a data center, residential developments, a battery energy storage system, and other land-use proposals. Public comments addressed neighborhood impacts, night sky protection, and adherence to the comprehensive plan.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes of the January and February 2026 meetings were approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Nick Banks (Fairway Estates) opposed the Graythorne Lakes 85-lot subdivision, citing safety, drainage, traffic, and loss of neighborhood character.
  • Gina Hathaway Vicary urged the commission to protect night skies from bright lights in new developments, referencing impacts on bird migration and the Conway Observatory.
  • Tom Lincoln (Eagle Creek Township) spoke broadly about individual liberty and opposed what he saw as coercive government actions.
  • Kristen Woodward (Hebron) asked that development decisions align with the county’s comprehensive plan and offered community collaboration on economic development.

Discussion Items

  • Old Business – 26-ZC-01 (Johnson Sunnybrook Farm / Data Center): The petitioner requested a deferral after scheduling a public forum for April 16, 2026 at Lowell High School. The commission deferred the zone change request to the May 20, 2026 meeting.
  • New Business – 26-FS-02 (Skurka Estate): Final plat approval for a one-lot, five-acre subdivision in Hanover Township. Approved unanimously.
  • New Business – 25-ZC-09 (Mason): Zone change from A-1 (Agricultural) to RR (Rural Residential) for a two-lot residential subdivision. Favorably recommended.
  • New Business – Items 3-7 (Graythorne Lakes): Four waivers (depth-to-width ratio, flag lots, dead-end street alignment, and street trees) were each approved. Primary plat approval for an 85-lot subdivision was granted contingent on installation of continuous sidewalks along 154th Avenue and Clark Street, and provision of covenants addressing street trees and landscaping before final approval.
  • New Business – 26-W-04 (Martinez): Waiver for resubdivision of Lot 1 in ASC Subdivision (St. John Township). Approved with staff conditions.
  • New Business – 26-SE-01 (Botma): Special exception for an already-excavated pond aimed at resolving flooding of a livestock barn. Approved retroactively.
  • New Business – 26-SE-02 (YMCA): Deferred pending receipt of Indiana Department of Natural Resources feedback on solid fill deposit.
  • Study Session – 26-SS-05 (JCB Companies): Discussed a 10-lot subdivision with existing infrastructure but water utility issues; private roads and road standards were key concerns.
  • Study Session – 26-SS-06 (Moya): Agritourism/agritainment proposal; discussion centered on a prior court order that conflicted with current ordinance provisions (e.g., no ticket sales, no alcohol).
  • Study Session – 26-SS-07 (Andy James): Proposed five-lot large-lot subdivision; discussion included right-of-way dedication on 141st Avenue and an existing barn.
  • Study Session – 26-SS-08 (Fetko): Solid fill placement for flood remediation (fill already on site); engineering plans and wetland delineation still pending.
  • Study Session – 26-SS-09 (Foundry Works Energy Storage): Presented a 200 MW battery energy storage system on 40 acres. Safety, fire response, groundwater protection, and the need for a zone change and special exception were discussed. Commissioners emphasized robust conditions and public hearings.

Key Outcomes

  • 26-ZC-01 deferred to May 20, 2026.
  • 26-FS-02 approved; 25-ZC-09 favorable recommendation.
  • Graythorne Lakes waivers (Items 3-6) and primary plat (Item 7) approved with conditions (sidewalks on 154th and Clark, street tree covenants).
  • 26-W-04 approved; 26-SE-01 approved retroactively; 26-SE-02 deferred.
  • A four-member committee (Commissioners Husman, Calvidis, Metro, and Tippy) was appointed to review draft amendments to data center regulations.
  • Study sessions provided early guidance; future public hearings will be scheduled for formal applications.

Meeting Transcript

All right. All right, good evening. I'm gonna call this meeting of the Plan Commission to order. Uh, if we can all stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. And to the Republic for Stanford under liberty and justice for all. Thank you. The following is the emergency exit announcement in case of an emergency. Commissioner's courtroom. Proceed to the stairs, go to the second floor and exit the building. Do not enter an elevator in an emergency. If you require assistance, a plan commission employee will escort or assist you. Please silence any cell phones during this meeting. If you receive a call during this meeting, please excuse yourself with as little disruption as possible to these proceedings. All right, pro call. Randy D. Meyer. Rebecca Coast? Here. Christina Miller. Jim Metro? Here. Can you say? Here. Here. Frank Calvidis? Here. Jerry Tippy? Here. Bill and Resident Evil. Here. We have a quorum. All right. Communications. Communications. I there are some adjustments to be made to this evening's agenda. And maybe jumping too far ahead. No petition number nine under new business. That's petition number 26-SE-02. Crossroads Young Men's Christian Association incorporated the owner and petitioner. The property is located approximately three tenths of a mile west of Chase Street on the north side of West 141st Avenue, also known as 3838. What's 141st Avenue in Center Township? The request is for a special exception from the unincorporated unified development ordinance. Title 154, Article 16, Additional Regulation of General Applicability, Chapter 80, regulate for solid solid fill. A special exception approval required. The purpose is to allow the deposit of solid fill. The reason for the deferral on this one is there was an uh requirement for Indian Department of Natural Resources Division of Water to provide their feedback. Hoping that that report will be in hand to accompany the rest of the submittal for that request. All right. And I believe I'm not sure how item number one of our old business is being addressed. I'll take that.

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