Montgomery County Commissioners approved a rezoning request of approximately 21 acres located near the Nucor Corridor at their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday.
The parcel in the 3700 block of East C.R. 350S will move from agricultural to industrial with land use specifications.
Before the vote, commissioners conducted a public hearing on the matter. Only one person, Realtor Greg Morrison, addressed the board.
Morrison was representing the landowner, Steven Jones, who would like to sell the property. Morrison said potential industrial buyers have inquired about purchasing the land, but most do not want to go through the process of rezoning the parcel.
Morrison said Jones has a potential buyer from Texas, Milestone Environmental, that has shown interest in purchasing the land. The company wants to use the property to construct a wastewater treatment facility. Water would be trucked into the facility to be treated.
Morrison said there is no purchase agreement signed at present between the Texas company and Jones.
At a recent Rural Development Commission meeting the request associated with Milestone Environmental received an unfavorable recommendation by county zoning administrator Marc Bonwell. He did not believe there was enough information about the Texas company and the process it would use to treat water.
Since then, more information on the water treatment process and on the Texas firm was gathered.
Morrison said if commissioners approved the rezone application, then the Texas company would start the process with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the federal EPA to obtain permits as part of a completed purchase agreement. If the company cannot get the permits, then they will not purchase the land.
Commissioner Jake Bohlander, who sits on the RDC, believes rezoning the property to industrial would benefit the county due to its proximity to the Nucor Corridor.
Commissioner Dan Guard expressed concern that if commissioners approved the rezoning request, any industrial buyer could purchase the land which could open it up to be used in an undesirable way.
Commissioner Jim Fulwider then proposed the rezone be approved with specifications that no hazardous waste material would be trucked into the water treatment facility. The motion included that the property could only be used for a water treatment facility and/or by an acceptable general manufacturer.
Fulwider’s motion was made in a way that if the Texas company does not purchase the land, then other future industrial users would know the property is already rezoned for industrial use only thereby making the property more marketable.
The motion passed unanimously to rezone the parcel with conditions.
Commissioner Assistant Becky Pietsch reported 324 vehicles dropped off waste at during Tox-A-Way Day on Saturday.
