County Plan Director Presents Annual Report for Plan Commission & BZA

Marshall County Plan Director Ty Adley recently presented the County Commissioners with the 2022 Annual Report for the Marshall County Plan Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals. 

Adley said 2022 was a year of great accomplishment for Marshall County, both through the Planning Commission and BZA.  The department saw a decline in the number of permits issued but the estimated valuation of those permits increased.  In 2022 there were 1072 permits issued in comparison to the 1105 issued in 2021.  The valuation for 2022 was $94,210,229 which is more than the $76,951,679 in 2021. 

Adley said, “Given everything that has occurred during 2022, many residents found ways to continue their investment in Marshall County.  The vast majority of these investments came in the form of new accessory buildings, conventional homes, and small commercial buildings.  A downturn in permits has been anticipated since the economic impact of a global medical event.  The reduction of only 3% of permits in relation to 1100 permits.” 

There were a total of 6 cases heard by the Marshall County Plan Commission in 2022 versus 13 cases in 2021.  There was a total of 1 vacation, 1 PUD, 1 zoning amendment and 3 ordinance amendments. 

The annual violation report said in 2022 significant staffing changes impacted the progress on an estimated 27 cases in various stages.  Some of which made some progress through the court stage while others have been left behind and will need to be picked up and reevaluated. 

The main violations are waste and debris.  Adley said, “Many feel their use of a property does not affect the neighborhood. We have properties which have been abandoned and are up for tax sale. We are limited on the legal actions on properties up for tax sale.  It takes years to have structures removed.” 

In the annual report, Director Ty Adley said 2022 was a year of challenge, change and transition.  Construction and the development of Marshall County much like any other place in Indiana and the United States is contingent on different factors in order for property to change from a bare field or developed residential lot into a subdivision or business expansion.  The story to be told about the 2022 numbers would relate to the valuation has jumped significantly from $76.9 million to $94.2 million and the number of permits have decreased from 1105 to 1072.  The correlation between the two begins to tell us that long time residents and those that are new to the community are investing in more projects such as new construction, residential additions, and commercial development rather than smaller permits like accessory structures and doubling down on Marshall County as a community to live, work and play. 

Staff is looking forward to the 2023 FY with many new projects and developments set to apply and begin in the first and second quarters.  There were minimal updates to either the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Control Ordinance and several updates are needed to streamline development for homeowners and business owners alike.  Adley said, “We will also continue to stay afloat on the state legislative matters affecting planning and zoning.”