By JONATHAN SNYDER
A Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area in downtown Bluffton was approved by the Wells County Area Plan Commission Thursday.
The DORA, also known as the Parlor City Refreshment District, allows for any alcohol-serving establishment to sell alcohol in designated DORA cups. Customers can pay an extra fee for those cups, then take their drinks outside and consume them in the designated boundary. The boundary of the district mainly goes from Wabash road south to Cherry Street, located in between Scott and Marion Streets. The district also includes the parking lot of the Wells County Chamber of Commerce.
The Bluffton Common Council must approve the district, followed by an approval from Indiana’s Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco and Firearms, before the DORA becomes active. Signage will be posted downtown along the DORA boundary, on locations selling DORA drinks and on businesses that will allow DORA cups to enter their facility.
The district’s expected vendors are the American Legion Post, Hideaway Beer and Bourbon, Mt. Fuji, The Parlor City Brewing Company, Unique Blue, Billy Ann’s, The Hunt Club, The Elks Lodge, The Moose Lodge and Pitties Dog House. The Area Plan Commission stated that the fee would work as a deterrent for public drunkenness and that DORA cups would be easily identifiable for law enforcement.
Additionally, the APC approved a petition from OD Inc. for a future project at 735 Industrial Parkway in Ossian. The land is zoned for light industry and OD Inc wanted to get approval for developing the whole plot of land so any future buyers would avoid the APC approval process. MLS Engineering’s Brett Miller, representing OD, stated that OD wants this to be a shovel-ready site for a buyer.
OD Inc. presented a development plan calling for a 200,000-square-foot building. OD Inc. has no intention to build it and the development plan may look different depending on the new owners. Changes must be approved by the APC staff.
APC Executive Director Mike Lautzenheiser stated that development action must be taken on the property within two years of APC approval. Simply putting stakes in the ground to designate the driveway counts as progress according to APC ordinances. Once action is taken, eight additional years can pass until the project must be completed.
“Just putting a temporary culvert along the lot there, that’s progress,” APC member Bill Horan said.
Miller requested that the two-year minimum be extended, due to the uncertainty of selling the land. APC members Tyson Brooks and Jarrod Hahn presented a four-year timeline before development must start, which the APC agreed to. Lautzenheiser clarified that the project’s completion will still be required in 10 years from the APC’s approval date.
Furthermore, rezoning petitions from ProFed Credit Union and Almco Steel were reviewed by the APC. ProFed’s appeal was denied by the Common Council and Almco Steel’s petition was sent back to the APC with a condition to rezone their planned 34 acres north of housing on Lancaster Street to light industrial instead of heavy.
The recommendation from the council was to remove a clause stating that businesses with punch presses were automatically listed as a heavy industry business. In response to this, Brooks wondered what happens if the punch presses in light industrial areas cause noise pollution. Lautzenheiser stated that putting a noise level in the ordinance could cause some legal troubles if the noise is in a short burst, such as a forklift or truck reversing. Lautzenheiser stated that every location has something that could be classified as noise pollution if set off.
Additionally, Trena Roudebush and Jacob Brunell representing Paddlefish Solar appeared before the board. Roudebush and Brunell both emailed a rendering of what their proposed solar project could look like in preparation for a year of meetings with the public about the project. The rendering was not sent to The News-Banner at the time of publication.
Lautzenheiser also reported that communities have started meetings regarding the Wells County Vision 2035 plan. Vera Cruz had their first committee meeting earlier in the week and others are expected to follow soon. Fundraising for a trail study on State Road 124 and Phase two of the Downtown Pathways project has also begun.
jonathan@news-banner.com
