 Richard Morrisroe City Planner 4444 Railroad Ave. East Chicago, IN 46312 Phone:219-391-8205 Fax:219-391-8522 rmorrisroe@eastchicago.com
 Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30a.m.-4:30p.m.
|
COMMUNITY PLANNING DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT |
|||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Technical ReviewRecommended Process for Technical Review Committee. The Plan Commission's Technical Review Committee meets every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. in the Conference Room of Heritage Hall (4506 Tod Avenue). Heritage Hall is found in the northeast corner of Veterans Park along with City Hall and the Gazebo. To be placed on the Tech Review meeting agenda, one must inform the Planning Department giving as much advanced notice as possible. A clear and precise discussion and description of the petition at the Tech Review Committee meeting is advisable. Thus, "a complete as possible" petition submission to the Tech Review Team is mandatory. For any petition, it is required that any and all materials for distribution at the Tech Review Committee meeting are received before close of workday (4:30 p.m.) of the previous Friday. No exceptions! No Walk-Ins! The petitioner should have at least have made contact with the Planning Department or the Building Department. Additionally, the petitioner must have completed an Application for Variation, Appeal & amendments Request for Pre-Application Conference form or an Application for a Building Permit form. Whatever form is used attachments which some how explain the project must be attached for Tech Review Committee. It advisable that the petitioner attend with any contractor's associated with the project. The Tech Review Committee assumes that any contractor that appears before Tech Review Committee is the agent of the owner/renter of the site. Additionally, the Tech Review Committee assumes that the owner/renter of the site having whatever work/development completed is in agreement with the contractor's recommendation for the project. 2. The East Chicago Plan Commission Workshop always meets the Second Monday of the month, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers (Second Floor of City Hall) To be placed on the workshop agenda, one must successfully secure a referral from the Tech Review Team membership via the City Planner. Representatives of the petitioner must also attend the Plan Commission Workshop meeting to discuss the project with some detail. No action is taken or can be taken at this meeting. Yet, Plan Commission members may have insights that may enhance the petition. 3. The East Chicago Plan Commission (Regular Monthly Meeting) always meets the Third Monday of the month, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers (Second Floor of City Hall) Representatives of the petitioner must again attend the regular meeting to discuss the project as needed. Action is taken at this meeting. Unless the Tech Review Committee gives permission for the petition to proceed at its meeting, NO activities can proceed or be initiated with the petition until the Plan Commission has acted. Recommended Process for A Zone Map Change (Rezoning). 1. The Plan Commission's Technical Review Committee presently meets every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. in the Conference Room of Heritage Hall (4506 Tod Avenue - Northeastern corner of Veterans Park). To be placed on the Tech Review Team meeting agenda, one must inform the Planning Department giving as much advanced notice as possible. A clear and precise discussion and description of the petition at the Tech Review Committee meeting is advisable. Thus, "a complete as possible" petition submission to the Tech Review Committee is mandatory. For any zone map change petition, it is required that any and all materials for distribution at the Tech Review Committee meeting be received before close of workday (4:30 p.m.) of the previous Friday. No exceptions! 2. The East Chicago Plan Commission Workshop always meets the Second Monday of the month, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers (Second Floor of City Hall) To be placed on the workshop agenda, one must successfully secure a referral from the Tech Review Team membership via the City Planner. Representatives of the zone map change petitioner must also attend the Plan Commission Workshop meeting to discuss the petition with some detail. No action is taken or can be taken at this meeting. Yet, Plan Commission members may have insights that may enhance the petition. 3. The East Chicago Plan Commission (Regular Monthly Meeting) always meets the Third Monday of the month, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers (Second Floor of City Hall) Representatives of the zone map change petitioner must again attend the regular meeting to discuss the petition as needed. Action is taken at this meeting. Action could include setting the date for a public hearing for any zone map change (rezone). The petitioner can ask for a specific public hearing date. East Chicago Plan Commission Public Hearings are usually set for an hour before the next regularly scheduled Plan Commission Meeting, which will be one month from the meeting date that set the public hearing. Public hearings are normally set for 1:00 p.m. on the Third Monday of the month in question. Plan Commission Process 4. The East Chicago Plan Commission is required to vote after the public hearing at its "Regular" meeting that begins at 2:00 p.m. After the Plan Commission votes, the ordinance for zone map change is forwarded to the City Council. The Plan Commission can vote in favor of a rezoning petition, vote against a rezoning petition or make no recommendation with regard to a rezoning petition to the City Council. The Plan Commission's zone map change vote is therefore not the final action but an action making a recommendation. The zone map change recommendation is then passed to the City Council for approval or rejection. The City Council, as a result of state statute, has up to 90 days to approve or reject the zone map change (rezoning) recommendation from the Plan Commission. Following is the Plan Commission schedule for 2005, which will assist any petitioner with pertinent dates to secure a zone map change (rezoning) of property within the City of East Chicago. |
