Plymouth BZA grants variance for Dollar General at Queen & Plymouth LaPorte Trail

A new Dollar General was granted a Variance of Use to build in a rural residential zoning district west of Plymouth during Tuesday evening’s Plymouth Board of Zoning Appeals meeting.  The variance is necessary because a retail store is not permitted in the rural residential zoning district. Planning Director Ty Adley said the city’s Comprehensive Plan does outline portions of Queen Road and the U.S. 30 area as future development for an employment center. 

The discount retail store will be located at the northeast corner of Queen Road and Plymouth LaPorte Trail, on the north side of U.S. 30.  The 1.75-acre parcel is owned by Lawrence Katz and HDJ Investments from Nappanee.  Plymouth Plan Director Ty Adley said with the approved variance, the developer will expand the eastern property line slightly to accommodate the development. He said the entrance will be off Queen Road as far to the north as possible to maintain as much separation between the intersection of Queen Road, Plymouth LaPorte Trail, and the access off U.S. 30.   

Rusty Dawson from Overland Engineering in Missouri appeared online at the meeting. He said they have spoken with a variety of people for this development, including the Marshall County Health Department for the septic, IDEM, and the county for the proposed well, reviewed the ProPEL Study, received a driveway permit from the county, and reviewed the city ordinances on landscaping, drainage, setbacks, and buffers.   Dawson told the board, “The bottom line is we’ve done quite a bit of homework on this one.”   

Two neighbors spoke against the proposal. Mike Wolf, who used to farm this ground, said he’s not thrilled about a Dollar General going on agricultural land. Wolf thought there was other land where the story could go, but said, “I think we could do a lot worse.”  He does have traffic concerns, especially coming off U.S. 30.  

Jim Warner said there is a water problem at the intersection, and rainwater accumulates on the road. He told the BZA he has water backing up on his property, and he doesn’t want the runoff from Dollar General to cause more water on his property.  He also feels the retail business will cause more traffic and noise. 

The Plymouth Board of Zoning Appeals approved the Variance of Use for the retail establishment on the property with the condition that the developer appear before the city’s Technical Review Committee (TRC) and that they must approve the final site plan.