Developer - I want to spend money and create jobs

Now the question will fall to the Porter County BZA to see if they understand their role, of if they think they are the "protectors" of Porter County to keep out all the stuff that's never been done before.

From the Post:

BZA variances hold stake to sports complex growth

IMHO - Approve the variances in a single reading and get these jobs and this construction project underway!

July 27, 2008

By Jane Huh Post-Tribune staff writer

Mark Bengel is eager to expand his 60,000-square-foot sports complex building and add a recreational facility for families and groups.

But before a shovel hits the ground, Bengel has an axe to grind with some of Porter County's development ordinances.

And he has a list of issues that he'll likely bring up at the next Board of Zoning Appeals meeting on Aug. 20 at the county administration complex.

The hope is that Bengel and his business partners, a family from California, who moved to Valparaiso about 10 months ago, will be granted variances.

Bengel owns The Courts of Northwest Indiana, 127 E. U.S. 6 in Valparaiso, which opened in 2006.

The privately owned facility sits on his 29 acres of land.

He plans to add a 90,000-square-foot facility for gymnastics and tennis as well as a 12,000-square-foot batting cage.

And he's working to get the franchise Pump It Up developed on his 29-acre-lot.

Steven and Anne Brandt moved to Valparaiso from California with their two boys nearly a year ago to bring the 12,000-square-foot Pump It Up facility to the county.

However, the county's requirements on architecture and landscaping are unreasonable and even unnecessary, he said.

Bengel said the anticipation was to have the facilities opened by the fall. But now, the timetable is unclear.

The Brandts said they came "armed with data and numbers" on the county's demographic and the marketability before initiating the franchise venture.

"We're both very committed, passionate financially for this development," Anne Brandt said.

"We're trying to make it in earnest."

Architectural requirements, based on a outlined formula, including one on the steepness of the building's roof, would be awkward for his facilities, Bengel said.

He said he would need to commit to a roof that has a steepness of almost 20 feet, according to the ordinance.

Another frustration is the requirement to have corners for every 50 feet of the building.

Other disagreements he and the Brandts have with the county planning standards imposed on the privately owned projects include the number of windows, construction materials and bushes. He said he would need 1,500 bushes around the parking lot.

just asking wrote: (In typical Porter County "we don't want your ideas or your jobs fashion)

"While the function of a building can dictate its form, the landscaping contributes to the overall quality of life in the community. Hold your line, BZA! And if you don't want to play by the rules, Brandts, well, there's a plane waiting that'll take you right back to California."

Way to go "just asking" you have summed up the Illiana, the Indiana South Shore extension, the balkanization of Lake County, and NIMBYism in it's finest form in only 47 mean spirited words!