Mooresville Plan Commission approves plats for two subdivisions

MOORESVILLE — The Mooresville Plan Commission approved primary plats for two planned subdivisions during its Thursday meeting.

Michael and Shannon Skyles, owners of Bunkerhill, LLC, recently purchased two adjoining parcels of farmland totaling 55 acres near the intersection of East Lindley Road/County Line Road 1050 and North Bunker Hill Road in Brown Township.

John Larrison, project manager for Holloway Engineering, appeared before the plan commission on behalf of the property owners to request two primary plat approvals related to the project.

The first request was for a primary plat for a 39-acre parcel at North Bunker Hill Road. The property will be divided into four lots to be known as the James Creek subdivision, with three new homes being built, each of them on roughly five-acre lots.

Paula Fulp, who lives just north of the property, asked Larrison who would maintain the lots once they are sold.

“What would keep them from adding a mobile home and whatnot on their property?” Fulp asked.

Larrison said there are a number of covenants and restrictions associated with the subdivision, including that no trailers, mobile homes, modular homes or log homes be permitted on any lot.

“All buyers in the subdivision buy into these protective covenants because it’s what they want,” he said.

The commission unanimously approved the request. Commission chair Mike Young was absent.

The second request was for a primary plat for a smaller parcel directly to the east on East Lindley Road. That piece of land will be divided into four lots to be known as the Schrute Farms subdivision.

“These are very large parcels for country-setting type homes,” Larrison said.

The commission unanimously approved the request.

After the meeting, the Skyles’ talked with Fulp and two other neighbors who were concerned about the loss of farmland.

“We don’t want to build a lot of houses,” Michael Skyles told them. “This will hopefully be a wonderful little community.”

Rezoning approved 

The commission approved a rezoning request from Keyswap Realty, LLC, which owns the vacant lot at 136 E. Harrison St.

Commissioners unanimously approved the request to rezone the property from I-2 zoning to R-2 residential.

New officers elected

In light of Morgan County Commissioners’ plans to dissolve the two-mile buffer zone around the town of Mooresville, plan commission vice chair Jeffrey Dieterlen said he and Young were looking to step down from their leadership roles and hand them off to other members of the commission.

The three county commissioners recently agreed to hire Greenfield-based law office Brand & Morelock to advise the board as it plans to get rid of the buffer zones.

“Given the county is currently in the process of having buffer zones returned back to their jurisdiction, we feel like we want to be present as a part of that transition for areas that we represent, and work with the county and town to do that,” Dieterlen said.

Buffer zones are areas around cities and towns that give the municipality planning and zoning jurisdiction. Residents in these areas are not considered citizens of the municipality, and they have long complained to commissioners about their lack of representation in local government.

Young and Dieterlen both live in the Mooresville buffer zone and are the two county commissioner-appointed members on the plan commission.

The commission unanimously approved David Saddler as its next chair, Mark Taylor as vice chair and Tammy VanHook as secretary.

The next meeting of the Mooresville Plan Commission is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 10, at the Mooresville Government Center, 4 E. Harrison St.

Board of Zoning Appeals

The Mooresville Board of Zoning Appeals held a very brief meeting Thursday night.

Board members Neal Allman and Jennifer Meador were present, along with board member David Saddler, who participated via phone. Board chair Mike Young was absent, as was board member Charles McGuire.

The board approved a variance request from a property owner on North County Line Road looking to put add an extension onto her garage.

Board attorney Chou-il Lee said he found a draft set of rules of procedures for both the board of zoning appeals and the plan commission. Lee said members of both governing bodies can decide whether or not to officially adopt the rules at their next meetings.

The board of zoning appeals held off on electing officers for the year until their next meeting due to two board members being absent.

The next meeting of the Board of Zoning Appeals is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 10, at the Mooresville Government Center, 4 E. Harrison St.

~ By Pete Blanchard | Reporter | Published February 11, 2022 in The Reporter Times