Culver Zoning 7/19 Update – Part 1
The Culver Plan Commission is looking into some changes to the Zoning Ordinance. Some of this is prompted by what is coming before the BZA for Variances and some of it is based on recommendations from the Building Commissioner and various commission members.
The first issue under discussion is rear yard setbacks in the R-1 district. The two things being discussed regarding this are:
- Single Family Rear Yard Setback: 25′ (page 26)
- Accessory Structure Setback: no less than 10′ from the rear lot line (page 82)
Regarding #1, some of the members on the Plan Commission also serve on the BZA. They referenced this as one of the issues that comes up constantly. This is particularly an issue in the areas of town where the Lot of Record is non-conforming by size, i.e. too small. The discussion initially centered around reducing the R-1 Rear Setback requirement from 25′ to 10′, which is apparently a commonly granted variance request. There was pushback on this from some members that felt that this needed BZA review and shouldn’t be the default.
I made the suggestion that the ordinance be modified to allow the 25′ setback to remain in place for conforming lots and allow the reduction for the smaller non-conforming lots. This seemed palatable to the majority of the members, but it was tabled for further thought and discussion at the next meeting. One additional thought I had is how this change would affect the R-1 impervious surface limitations in the ordinance. (Maximum Impervious Lot Coverage: 50%) Many of the lots requesting setback variance may still be coming to the BZA due to this limitation. This becomes a trickier issue as it not only affects the adjacent neighbors, but the entire storm water system and Lake Maxinkuckee. This should be considered as well.
On a side note, I was pleased to hear one of the members bring up the affordable housing issue and how zoning restrictions often stymie creative solutions. I hope he carries this forward into the ongoing Comprehensive Plan meetings. Some allowances for creativity and New Urbanism would put Culver ahead of most of our neighboring communities and the County.
Regarding #2, some members thought there was a discrepancy, since accessory structures were allowed within 10′ of the rear property line. I would argue that there is a big difference between the an accessory structure and a main structure within 10′ of the rear property line. An accessory structure, such as a garage, gazebo or yard barn, which is limited to a height of 16′ and generally will have a smaller footprint. The main structure is allowed to be 35′ in height and often has a footprint that fills the lot from side setback to side setback. This could be quite imposing for the neighboring property, particularly in cases where there isn’t an alley or other additional open space. Personally, I think this should stand as is, though I might suggest tweaking it to address garages that access rear yard alleys. When they are constructed 10′ off the alley, general access can create issues and often trespass on the neighbors.
The other issue that was discussed was the line of site setback requirement for L-1 properties, but I’ll address that in a separate post.
Melba Easterday
I attended Melba Easterday’s funeral yesterday. She passed away at 101 years old last week. She was the last of the 2nd generation at Easterday Construction Co., Inc. She was my Great Aunt and the “Great” was not just a casual title. She was my favorite Great Aunt and very deserving of the title. For those of you that follow me here, I’ve written about her before.
As long as I can remember, she lived next door to Easterday Construction and for a time when I was growing up, she was our next door neighbor on the other side. Her home was built for her and Edward Lee by Easterday Construction too. She only left that home in the last couple of years when she had to move into the nursing home. I would occasionally take my lunch next door and eat while she shared stories about the past. Things such as, during World War II, Easterday Construction was responsible for a portion of the buildings needed at the Kingsbury Ordinance Plant. Melba worked with her sister-in-law, Sue, preparing payroll for the 100’s of men working for Easterday Construction on that project. My great grandfather oversaw the project. Melba and Sue’s husbands were serving oversees at the time.
As so often happens at funerals, I learned even more about Aunt Melba. One of those interesting tidbits was her first job (at 9 years old!) serving as a nanny for the Newman family on their farm. There was also a humorous story about when she prepared a flower arrangement and unwittingly included Marijuana in the arrangement. There were also many stories about the lives she touched in the community and through her Church.
To share one of my favorite personal memories that really sums Melba up – She would make homemade candy every Christmas and she would also bring an assorted plate back to us here at Easterday Construction. There was white peppermint bark, green mint chocolate bark, chocolate covered toffee, chocolate fudge, peanut butter fudge and maraschino cherry fudge.
There’s an additional story about the maraschino cherry fudge… All of her candy was rich, but the maraschino cherry fudge was always so rich that it made your teeth hurt! It was a family recipe that was made by my great grandmother, my grandmother and then by Melba (and probably other Easterday family members). Despite that, I don’t think I ever heard anyone in the family make it and claim it was good. There was always a sigh and a comment along the lines of, “I just didn’t get it right this year.” or “It’s just not as good as it used to be.” In Melba’s case, it was always good and when she found out it was Dad’s favorite, she always made a small amount that was set aside “for Larry”.
Anyway, a few years ago, she was just not able to do the candy anymore. She sent us a card with an apology(!), written in her meticulous script, telling us how sorry she was that she couldn’t bring us candy anymore. That was Melba… apologizing for not going above and beyond for us when she no longer could.
Melba lived a long and interesting life. There were no doubt trying times, but she met them with a smile and a laugh that left a lasting impression. In her own words at the end, she was ready to go. That’s probably the best any of us can hope for…
Destination 2040 – Culver Comp Plan
If you recall from some of my past posts here and on Twitter, I have been encouraging Culver to update the Comprehensive Plan. I began pushing for this as we were finishing up Stellar as I thought Stellar had put in motion so much of the 2014 plan, that it was time to consider what was next. I had thought 2020 Vision for Culver was an excellent name for the Comprehensive Plan at that time. Then the pandemic disrupted all of our lives. There would have been no reasonable way to hold public input session and other things needed to move a new Comp Plan forward.
Over the past year, Culver’s Town Manager, Ginny Munroe, has created Culver Crossroads, mimicking the model of Marshall County Crossroads which successfully garnered the county Stellar designation. One of the goals with this is to keep the people in Culver that made Stellar happen, together. They are resources that can help Culver do more great things. Since planning is a big part of this, the idea of updating the Comp Plan resurfaced and is now underway with the guidance of MACOG.
One of the first things they are doing as part of public outreach is to ask community members to send a post card from the future. “Imagine you’re living in Culver in 2040, and you would like to send a post card from the future to yourself today. Use this template postcard to write a brief message or draw your vision describing what Culver looks like in 2040, what’s changed from today, and what you like to do for fun or highlight a destination places in Culver.” The postcard format is a little limiting, but it’s a good way to start people thinking and there will be plenty of opportunities to give additional input in the future. I’m more of a planning guy, so that’s where my comments went. For those of you that are interested, this is my card:
Nothing new here and some of this falls under things yet to accomplish from the 2014 Comp Plan, but they are things that I think are important and would move Culver forward with more connectivity and a more diverse economy. (Lately I’ve been accused of being negative. Others will judge that, but my intention is to be pragmatic. That said, you don’t see a lot of pragmatic cheerleaders. Ha!)
If you are interested in filling out a card, they are available at the Town Hall. I’m sure Ginny is gathering any email input she receives, so that would be another way to be heard.
Comprehensive Plans are generally updated every 5 to 15 years. Active and forward thinking communities are doing them at the low end of that scale because they’re moving things forward. Less active communities complete plans when they have to and then shelve them, never acting on them. The more participation the Town gets, the more likely they are to follow through with the plans. Be sure to step up and provide your input. This is probably only second to elections in how you are able to influence the direction of Culver for the Future. Keep an eye on the Town of Culver website as I’m sure there will be more information there soon.
Marty Easterday’s Passing
Another memorable employee and family member passed this past week. Martin “Marty” Easterday was part of the third generation at Easterday Construction Co., Inc. He was the son of Edward Lee Easterday (affectionally known as “Red”) and grandson of our Founder, Russell L. Easterday. He was the last employee with the Easterday name to work here.
I literally have know Marty all my life. He grew up next door to me and was my “baby-sitter” at times. I idolized him and his brothers Tom & Jim as the older kids that always had some cool project going on and they let me watch the successes, failures and often, havoc!
Marty worked at Easterday Construction Co., Inc. in the seventies and eighties (1965-1985) as a plumber and HVAC tech. During one of my summers off during college, I worked as his assistant. He would often regale me with his college exploits including the parties he went to and the girls and the girls and the girls. He assured me I was doing college wrong and not having nearly enough fun there! Ha! Marty always had the gift of gab and was a natural storyteller… So much so, it was often difficult to tell how much, if any, of the story was fact or fiction. He truly was someone who had a zest for life. He will be missed!
LaPaz Commons Apartments Ground Breaking
LaPaz Commons Apartments is part of the Riverside Commons Apartment project. The project is a LIHTC project through IHCDA. Last Fall we held a ground breaking for Plymouth to celebrate their portion of the project. Now we are going to celebrate LaPaz‘s portion.
The Riverside Commons project was part of Marshall County Crossroad‘s Stellar Region application. Marshall County’s successful designation as a Stellar Region allowed us to use an IHCDA Stellar Set-Aside to successfully obtain tax credits for this project. We still had to obtain every possible point allowed for the sites as set out by the IHCDA QAP, but the set-aside gave us a boost. It’s very competitive for rural LIHTC projects (all of Marshall County is Rural per IHCDA), so the set-aside was critical to receiving this award.
We are working on some renderings, but the LaPaz Commons apartments will be all townhomes and look very similar to those we built at The Paddocks in Culver. (See the rendering to the right.) There will be 6 two story townhouses and two accessible flats. There will also be a community room including an administration office and a laundry room. The townhomes will front on Troyer Street, just off Michigan Street. Currently Troyer Street is unimproved, but the Town of LaPaz will be upgrading this street to accommodate LaPaz Commons. The Town has been very supportive and has already brought in some stone to give us an area to get off the road onto Troyer Street.
We are happy to be working with the Town of LaPaz on this project and hope you will come out and help them celebrate this addition to their community.
