We Will Be Watching The County Plan Commission
Posted by Jeff Pruitt - 6/11/08 @ 6:32 pm - Filed Under Featured, Local Politics
Tomorrow the plan commission will meet to decide the fate of the Cedar Creek area and the Canyon Cliffs development. Scott Spaulding’s previous post highlighted the myriad of problems related to this issue, but just for a quick refresher:
Recap:
Conflict of interest in land sale
Repealing a sewer extension ban
Trying to build on covenant restricted land
Encroaching upon what natural land is left in Allen County
So we’ll all be watching to see what the plan commission decides but more specifically we’ll be watching to see if Charles Bodenhafer, plan commission president, is involved in any way with the discussion or vote as county law expressly forbids it:
18-1-6-9
An Employee or Special County Appointee may not participate in any decision or vote of any kind in which the Employee or Special County Appointee or that individual’s spouse or unemancipated children has a Financial Interest.
I seriously doubt he will choose to violate the above law but if he does I will immediately file a complaint with the Allen County Ethics Commission. There’s probably a good chance somebody has already contacted them but if you’re offended by what’s happened to date then feel free to fill out
this form and drop it off at the city county building.
I would also encourage everyone to show up to the meeting and show your disdain for this development. The meeting will be held at noon tomorrow at the city-county building. I would also strongly encourage readers to contact the members of the plan commission tonight and/or tomorrow morning and let them know how you feel. The following is a list of the members:
Charles J. Bodenhafer, President - cbodenhafer@biiginc.com
Allan D. Frisinger, County Surveyor, Vice President - al.frisinger@co.allen.in.us
Susan L. Hoot - UNKNOWN
Paul Moss, County Council - pmoss@lutheran-hosp.com
Bill Brown, County Commissioner - commissioner@co.allen.in.us
Harold Kleine, Township Trustee - 639-3062
Gonzalee Martin, County Extension Office - marting@purdue.edu
Ken Neumeister - kneumeister@libertyconst.com
Robert W. Young - ryoung@theallianceonline.com
Comments
12 Responses to “We Will Be Watching The County Plan Commission”
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Having once lived on Chapman Road I find what our purported leaders are doing is reprehensible. Not only are they going to destroy a very pristine area,they will open up the area all the way to the county line to be invaded (annexed) by the city of fort whine, utilizing their covenant to prevent remonstration when supplying the sewer and water service. Those living in the area might well be served by requesting annexation by the city of Huntertown, This whole charade is like the wizard of OZ “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” and to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln we now have a “Government of the ELITE, For the CONNECTED, to shaft the people”
@fortwaynepolitics.com Thank you for your continued coverage of this very important issue.
It should also be noted:
Allen County Planning Commission
Susan L. Hoot
Allen County Ethics Commission
ACPC Member - Suzie Hoot
I am “assuming” its the same individual. Will she vote with a clear conscience?
http://save.cedar.creek.googlepages.com/home
Jeff:
Will you be attending the meeting to cover it? Are the TV stations going to be there?
I have to work, or I would be there. I am going to e-mail the Plan Commission right now. I wonder if the Plan Commission will make a decision immediately or duck behind the old “we’ll take it under advisement.”
Charlotte,
My guess is it will be taken under advisement. Then again jamming it through just gets it out of the way much like the County Council did with the purhcase of property by our Sheriff from his number one fund raiser Ken Nubbie….
I think who ever goes be prepared for smoke and mirrors to be presented. I would think members of County Council and the Commishes would attend as this event and a couple others just may come to bite them in the rear come election time.
I will be there to cover the meeting. Typically the plan commission meetings are on public access television so I will record it as well…
An open letter was sent out to the City of Fort Wayne, Allen County and the Allen County Planning Commission, along with various state and local government officials, local news and media outlets, surrounding county officials and various concerned community members and groups.
It can be read at the below link by the general public, Allen County citizens and those that are both concerned and interested further in the future of he Cedar Creek area which is in discussion:
http://save.cedar.creek.googlepages.com/openlettertocityoffortwayneandallencount
This is probably”where angels fear to tread” but—we still have private property laws in this USof A! While I love wild and beautiful places as much as anyone it is important to remember that the public or it’s representatives cannot “take” private property or insist that it remain in a low value use without meeting some pretty severe restrictions such as paying for it or using it for something like the greater common good such as road right of way or public buildings. I understand all those who would like this property to stay like it is but the owners do have a right to propose it be used for other purposes.I assume it is zoned agricultural so you might see the owner build a pig farm there-we saw this at Lake George when we fought a major complex of self-storage buildings.
Lockwood Marine you are absolutely right. The owners of this land do have the right to propose their land be used for other purposes. And my opposition to this development is not because I want to deny them the right to sell their property.
I oppose the way the minor plat ordinance is being misused to piecemeal a larger development and circumvent the extensive review process of the full plan commission that a large development such as this would normally require. What developer would ever again follow the normal procedure of full plan commission review for a development, when they can get “through the back door” by using the minor plat ordinance?
I live on Chapman Road - my family has been here for 57 years - and I will fight this fight because this is my neighborhood. But also because if this is allowed to happen, it will affect many other areas of Allen County - it won’t stop here.
@ Lockwood Marine, I suppose the current local residents could do the same with their adjoining existing properties also if the houses show up next to them. But I think we are WAY PAST pig tactics here concerning this issue.
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Wane TV News - Controversial development on Allen county nature area
Video: http://www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=8465965
Lockwood,
I have always supported the thought if you want to control it then you better own it. However, I do have a major problem when the owner is able to play games with the system to make himself a buck.
Let me buy the house next to yours and put a hog farm on it. I will buy off all the people involved in the zoning and get it done. I bet I would hear you squell like a hog if I got it done.
Enough said.
Lockwood:
This is not an eminent domain issue. The government is not taking the land for any use at all. Please do not confuse the issue with eminent domain. And the argument that private property rights trump all is not accurate. They don’t, and they shouldn’t. I am not aware of any rights in this country that are absolute.
If that were the case, we would have no zoning regulations, no land use regulations, etc. These regulations are set in place for the health, safety, and, yes, enhancement of the lives of citizens. They are also put in place to control growth and development.
I live in an historic district in Fort Wayne. I knew when I bought my home that I would be subject to certain restrictions as to what I could do with my home and property.
The Bodenhafers bought land in rural Allen County - no doubt zoned agricultural. They knew that when they bought it. Now they want to change the rules and designation because they want to exploit the land for greed alone.
I would hope that no one in his or her right mind would buy an argument that this is being done to beautify the area. This is being done for good-old-fashioned greed. In today’s age - not an acceptable reason to destroy an area that holds so much in the way of environmental aesthetics not only today but also for the future.
From this morning’s Journal Gazette:
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080612/LOCAL/806120317
“Bodenhafer said Wednesday he will not attend the hearing; he declined to comment further.”
Coward.