A Pierceton man wants to use the old Lamplight restaurant on U.S. 30 in Pierceton for a residence and petitioned the Kosciusko County Area Planning Commission to rezone the property.

Gustavo Munoz owns the former Lamplight building and asked for the property to be rezoned from commercial to residential so he could have a home there. He said the property has been on the market for at least a couple of years and has not been sold. The taxes he pays have become a burden. Currently there is a shared access easement with a neighboring commercial property, but Chris Alexander, who owns that property, is concerned his property would be less attractive to potential buyers if there is a shared easement with a multi-family residence.

There was some discussion about whether Miller Street is actually a platted road or is railroad right of way. Aerial maps appear to show at least part of the road is platted.

Dick Kemper of the APC said it would make sense for Munoz to petition the county board of zoning appeals for an exception to have a residence on commercial property. Much of the surrounding property is either zoned commercial or industrial. Kemper noted the taxes should likely be lower because they are based on use, not zoning. Munoz also indicated a few years later he may decide to rent space in the building for others to live there.

Ultimately the APC voted to table the petition until the March 5 meeting to allow Dan Richard, area planning director, time to gather information on whether Miller Street can be used as a second access to the property, more specific information on the shared easement arrangement and if the taxes would indeed be lower if the building is used as a residence. Richard also suggested Munoz petition the BZA for an exception.

In other business, the APC approved a preliminary plat for Tim Hine for a residential development on Blaine Street at the intersection with Linda Lane in North Webster. The petition had been continued from the January meeting to allow time for concerns to be worked out with nearby property owners. An agreement was reached for Hine to share an access easement with neighbor Jon Sroufe and for a 50-foot access easement to come off Blaine Street. A third easement will be eliminated and the property will not be re-subdivided.

Also on the agenda, the APC approved a preliminary plat for Tim Lowman for a two lot subdivision on Oakwood Drive, east of Indian Trail in Wayne Township. The property is what was left of the Schull subdivision. Lowman said when he bought the property in 1999, he thought it was two lots and it was surveyed as such, but it was never subdivided. He has a home on the property and wants to have one built for his daughter, too.

In other business, the APC approved a preliminary plat for a two lot subdivision for Mark Landes on CR 350N, east of Pressler Drive in Plain Township. It is near the Old Farm subdivision. There is an existing house with plans to build another one.

And the APC approved the final plat for a three lot subdivision for Kenneth Mullet on CR 750W in Jefferson Township. There were no changes from the preliminary plat other than some legal descriptive language being changed.

APC meetings are normally held at 1 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month in the commissioners room, or the old courtroom, of the county courthouse in Warsaw.