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Staff Report -PC#0067-21 9/20/2021 SOUTH BEND PLAN COMMISSION Page 3 of 5 Land Uses and Zoning: On site: The site is currently vacant and is heavily wooded in some sections while other sections have been used for agriculture purposes recently. North: To the north, across Adams Road, is a tilled agriculture field zoned NC Neighborhood Center. East: To the east, across the St. Joseph Valley Parkway (bypass), are industrial warehouses zoned I Industrial South: To the south are residential properties zoned R Residential in the County. West: To the west are residential properties zoned R Residential in the County. District Intent: The I District is established to provide a location for medium- to high intensity industrial uses, typically grouped along highways and major streets and separated from residential uses. Site Plan Description: The current site plan shows a new service center including approximately 98,000 SF office and garage building and 15,000 SF detached vehicle storage building. A substation will also be located on the NE corner of the site. Zoning and Land Use History and Trends: The property was initially annexed into South Bend in the early 2000s and included as part of the Portage Prairie PUD. The development was predicated on a proposed interchange at Adams Road and the the US-31 bypass with the intention of creating a mixed use development to support apartments and other mixed use growth west of the interchange. This development did not materialize leading to the property remaining agriculture in use despite being zoned mixed- use. With the new Zoning Ordinance in 2020, any property zoned PUD was paired with the district most closely related to the intended uses and development standards. Because the area west of the bypass was intended to have a mix of uses, the properties were assigned to Neighborhood Center District. The surrounding area east of the bypass has become heavily industrial with a large increase in companies in the past decade. Traffic and Transportation Considerations: Adams Road is two lanes with no on-street parking. The St. Joseph Valley Parkway (bypass) is a limited access freeway. At this time, there seems to be little interest from INDOT in constructing the Adams Road interchange. Agency Comments: There are no additional comments at this time. Staff Comments: While AEP does not need to rezone the property to operate the substation, the I Industrial District is appropriate for the adjacent service center. The property is centrally located for the AEP service area with easy access to major roads, allowing them to service the public in a more timely manner. Agency Comments Site & Context