February 12, 2020 at 6:21 p.m.
Moving out
Portland’s DCS office will have to find a new temporary site after zoning request is denied
Portland’s branch of Indiana Department of Child Services will need to find a new location.
Portland Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday rejected a temporary usage request to allow the local DCS office to be located in a house on Race Street.
Youth Service Bureau, which owns the house at 422 W. Race St., sought the temporary usage exemption to allow DCS to use site for its offices while its new facility is under construction. Plans call for DCS and the local Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch to join the Indiana Division of Family Services at the former Dayton Progress building on Meridian Street. Portland Plan Commission last week approved rezoning of that property for use by the state offices, but renovations are needed before it can be utilized as office space.
The local DCS branch, which has 16 employees, moved into the Race Street house Jan. 13 from its previous location in the strip mall on Votaw Street at its intersection with Industrial Park Drive.
Youth Service Bureau leased the building to the state for DCS use, not realizing it wasn’t zone for that purpose.
Pati McLaughlin, assistant director of Jay/Portland Building and Planning, said her office was not contacted about the zoning question prior to the move.
“It wasn’t my intention to get us into this situation,” said PJ Corwin, executive director of Youth Service Bureau. “It had always been communicated to me that it had been zoned for business, so I didn’t even think to look into it before we went through the lease process.”
Youth Service Bureau received permission in 2007 to use the house for five to seven of its clients as well as two employees, but it had never been approved for business use.
Corwin noted that the lease was for six months, with a month-to-month contract after that as needed. Amanda Hartman, local office director for the Portland DCS site, said the hope is that the new offices will be complete by August.
Randy Smith, a Race Street resident, spoke against the request, citing concerns about parking, sight lines when pulling out a driveways and additional traffic in the residential neighborhood being a danger for children.
“You can’t see to get in and out of our drive and to back out,” he said. “And with the weather breaking you’re going to have kids on bicycles, mopeds. There’s way too many cars down there. It’s too congested. …
“I just don’t want to tolerate it.”
Emily Goodrich, whose family employs Smith, supported him in his opposition.
Portland Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday rejected a temporary usage request to allow the local DCS office to be located in a house on Race Street.
Youth Service Bureau, which owns the house at 422 W. Race St., sought the temporary usage exemption to allow DCS to use site for its offices while its new facility is under construction. Plans call for DCS and the local Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch to join the Indiana Division of Family Services at the former Dayton Progress building on Meridian Street. Portland Plan Commission last week approved rezoning of that property for use by the state offices, but renovations are needed before it can be utilized as office space.
The local DCS branch, which has 16 employees, moved into the Race Street house Jan. 13 from its previous location in the strip mall on Votaw Street at its intersection with Industrial Park Drive.
Youth Service Bureau leased the building to the state for DCS use, not realizing it wasn’t zone for that purpose.
Pati McLaughlin, assistant director of Jay/Portland Building and Planning, said her office was not contacted about the zoning question prior to the move.
“It wasn’t my intention to get us into this situation,” said PJ Corwin, executive director of Youth Service Bureau. “It had always been communicated to me that it had been zoned for business, so I didn’t even think to look into it before we went through the lease process.”
Youth Service Bureau received permission in 2007 to use the house for five to seven of its clients as well as two employees, but it had never been approved for business use.
Corwin noted that the lease was for six months, with a month-to-month contract after that as needed. Amanda Hartman, local office director for the Portland DCS site, said the hope is that the new offices will be complete by August.
Randy Smith, a Race Street resident, spoke against the request, citing concerns about parking, sight lines when pulling out a driveways and additional traffic in the residential neighborhood being a danger for children.
“You can’t see to get in and out of our drive and to back out,” he said. “And with the weather breaking you’re going to have kids on bicycles, mopeds. There’s way too many cars down there. It’s too congested. …
“I just don’t want to tolerate it.”
Emily Goodrich, whose family employs Smith, supported him in his opposition.
Hartman said efforts were being made to have employees park elsewhere and carpool to the house and that larger meetings would be held at other sites.
Ultimately, though, board members Lee Newman, Larry Petro and Kyle Cook, absent Rusty Inman and Susie Schutz, shared Smith’s concerns, voting unanimously against the request.
They expressed sympathy for the local DCS employees, but said they felt more suitable space can be found in the city. (The former Judge Haynes Elementary School was suggested as a possibility.)
The board gave the DCS office a 30-day deadline to be out of the Race Street house.
Board members also granted a special use exception to sister and brother Emily and Wil Goodrich for the property at 118 and 122 E. McNeil St. for manufacturing, distribution and tasting of craft beer. The property, which is also home to Red Dragon Gaming and Country Creek Primitives, is zoned neighborhood business, but required an exception to be used for a brewery.
Plans call for the Goodrich siblings to run a brewery downstairs and a tasting room upstairs. Parking will be to the east side of the building.
The board re-elected Newman as chair, Schutz as vice chair and Petro as secretary.
It retained McLaughlin as recording secretary and Bill Hinkle as legal counsel.
Ultimately, though, board members Lee Newman, Larry Petro and Kyle Cook, absent Rusty Inman and Susie Schutz, shared Smith’s concerns, voting unanimously against the request.
They expressed sympathy for the local DCS employees, but said they felt more suitable space can be found in the city. (The former Judge Haynes Elementary School was suggested as a possibility.)
The board gave the DCS office a 30-day deadline to be out of the Race Street house.
Board members also granted a special use exception to sister and brother Emily and Wil Goodrich for the property at 118 and 122 E. McNeil St. for manufacturing, distribution and tasting of craft beer. The property, which is also home to Red Dragon Gaming and Country Creek Primitives, is zoned neighborhood business, but required an exception to be used for a brewery.
Plans call for the Goodrich siblings to run a brewery downstairs and a tasting room upstairs. Parking will be to the east side of the building.
The board re-elected Newman as chair, Schutz as vice chair and Petro as secretary.
It retained McLaughlin as recording secretary and Bill Hinkle as legal counsel.
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