Some developers are swine.

[BravoXray]

My only suggestion would to carefully read your townships master plan. Find all the ways that this proposed development is a poor fit for the master plan (preserving farming, nature, avoiding negative impacts on ground water table, stream quality (septic fields), road traffic concerns, etc. You can generate a list of very real impacts that are negative for the township quality of life, and put their own master plan's document's words in their own faces as proof of what should guide them. They'll likely use some word salad to talk around your concerns, but if a room full of 100+ people is angry enough, they have to at least listen.

Thanks, we will be looking into those areas.

 

[deezler]

More RVs are built in Elkhart County that in the rest of the country.

I've heard about the trailer industry in elkhart IN, but man, zooming around the map a little, thats kind of crazy. "Forest River plant #59", for example? And all the supporting industries - axles, wheels, dometic coolers, and so much more.

 

[WinterDeere]

... the developer has no interest in the area whatsoever other than making a bunch of money off the destruction of more farmland.

And this is going to be your biggest problem. But you'd at least hope the sellers of the property had some interest in preserving the character of the area.

We live in an old farm house that became a development, but the developer lives in the house directly across the street from us, and so has a vested interest in the neighborhood. He kept all lots large (12 - 30 acres), and wrote bylaws that disallow the subdivision of anything under 6 acres, and prevented the building of any house less than 6000 sq.ft. or with less than a 3 car garage. It ensured that all lots remained large and value of the neighborhood remained high, as lots sold off and folks built on them.

My family, who owned most of the land south of New Hope (@daugen and @kenmbz's neighborhood) up into the 1990's, broke most of our farm land up into large individual 6 acre lots and sold them under contract to individuals, with conditions that they must build a single family home on the lot within something like 24 - 36 months, or forfeit them back to the family trust. It was one method of ensuring no developer could collect lots and plan a high-density development upon them, and it may have been an act of leaving some money on the table, but they still made plenty while keeping the semi-rural nature of the area intact.

 

[BravoXray]

And this is going to be your biggest problem. But you'd at least hope the sellers of the property had some interest in preserving the character of the area.

That's the problem. The family that owned the farm put covenants or restrictions on the property prohibiting it being developed. After it was passed to the daughter, she hired a lawyer and had the restrictions removed. So here we are.

 

[paulsharvey]

Made it about 10 or 12 posts down, but not all the way through.

So, your commission is looking out for the good of the entire county, and 62 acres of vacant farm land vs 72 homes; its clear cut that the 72 homes are better for the community.

Adding conservation easements to a property really destroy all future value, and are terrible for the owner/their heirs; and bad for the local government as well, as its just wasted, valueless land.

You/your neighbors will get to speak on the rezoning, but its not a vote.

If you are smart; speak at the rezoning, but about landscape buffers, road improvements, ecr; get something from it; take your greatly increased property values, and consider relocating if this bothers you that much.

The former property ownera/heirs owe you nothing; they are looking out for their own interests.

With all that; yes, it sucks; but if you are Smart, speak about the impacts, and how they will prevent some of the negatives; if you just are the crazy old anti development guy, you'll be ignored. Towns/communities either grow or die; there isn't really an in-between. Talk to people who fought interstates, and asked for bypasses to dodge their towns; those are dead communities now.

 

[BravoXray]

I've heard about the trailer industry in elkhart IN, but man, zooming around the map a little, thats kind of crazy. "Forest River plant #59", for example? And all the supporting industries - axles, wheels, dometic coolers, and so much more.

All the supporting industries for RV manufacturing are present here.
I have a friend that I used to haul lumber for, that he cut to dimension for the RV manufacturers. He opened his first plant in 2005 in a small building, maybe 3,000 sq.ft. Now he has to huge plants with rail sidings serving them. I think he did over $50 million last year. And, he's not the only big supplier of lumber in the area.
A year or so ago, I went for a drive around the area one Sunday afternoon, and found a couple of large industrial parks with dozens of factories that I didn't even know were there.
Forest River it a major player in the RV supply chain. Dexter Axle supplies huge numbers of axles, rims, tires and suspension parts, as does MorRyde that specializes in rubber spring types of suspensions. I remember when they were just a small operation off Hammond Ave. in Elkhart, now they have two large plants that I know of.

If the RV industry ever goes to pot, the industries in this county will be in a lot of trouble until they can diversify into other type of products, if they can.

 

[paulsharvey]

Ive also heard the argument to not allow farms to subdivide; with people Thinking it saves farms... It actually kills them, and prevents farming. To farm you need money; to get money you need loans; to get loans, you need land value. That value is based on it being able to be divided and used. Take the ability to divide or sell off a piece, and the farm lacks the ability to do capital investment that make it work.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

So, your commission is looking out for the good of the entire county, and 62 acres of vacant farm land vs 72 homes; its clear cut that the 72 homes are better for the community.

It's not clear cut to me at all. My county's zoning master plan specifically calls out that rural and agricultural land are of great benefit to the community as a whole and a lot of people agree.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

Ive also heard the argument to not allow farms to subdivide; with people Thinking it saves farms... It actually kills them, and prevents farming. To farm you need money; to get money you need loans; to get loans, you need land value. That value is based on it being able to be divided and used. Take the ability to divide or sell off a piece, and the farm lacks the ability to do capital investment that make it work.

That doesn't mean the land has to be sold to developers to further subdivide into 1/4 acre lots with McMansions. That's why a lot of counties allow 5+ acre homesteads in agricultural areas. Those people understand and can coexist with ag operations. The McMansion crowd are the ones that complain about the smells, sounds, and agricultural traffic on the roads.

 

[MossRoad]

This county is unrecognizable from what it was 20-30 years ago. ...

I'll agree with you on that. If you'd have left for 30 years and come back, you'd not recognize the place. Midway? Midway to what? It's all one continuous strip, and that's just on that one road. The amount of RV factories and plants is astounding.

That being said, back in the 50's my dad bought 20 acres on the very edge of town and subdivided it into 17 lots, sold the lots, and payed for his house, where I was born.

Go back to his mom's age, around 1902 they lived waaaaaaay out in the country... on Johnson St., 2 blocks north of Lincolnway West.