Parking, flooding among concerns raised by plat committee

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An ambitious development on the city’s northeast side faces a literal uphill battle after the Kokomo Plan Commission’s plat committee raised several issues that complicate the project.

Consultants for Faris Center – a commercial and residential planned use development located at the northeast corner of Cooper and Morgan streets -- sought plat approval for a planned hotel on that property. The plat faced several issues, brought forward by the City of Kokomo’s Director of Engineering Jon Pyke.

He questioned the plan for just 117 parking spaces for 114 planned units, leaving little room for employee and visitor parking. But his largest concern was the site’s elevation. Proposed buildings must be situated at least two feet above the 100-year storm detention elevation.

“According to what I read, you're not meeting that standard,” said Pyke.

Faris Center is a planned development which includes apartments, a hotel, and commercial space, all located directly adjacent to the StarPlus Energy electric vehicle battery plants. It also abuts a small residential subdivision directly to the west.

Pyke called into question the developer’s intent to place the hotel’s sprinkler system and the external fire hydrants on the same six-inch water line. Though a representative from Indiana-American Water was not present at the meeting, Pyke indicated that the utility typically would not approve such an arrangement.

“Typically, they wouldn't do that, especially given that that six-inch line is the same line they've drawn water from the sprinkler system,” said Pyke. “That will just suck the pipe dry if you’ve got a pump truck hooked up to it and the sprinkler system.”

A second case under review was directly related to the hotel project. Faris Center also is projected to be home to an apartment complex. It faces the same difficulties as the hotel, perhaps more so. Pyke contended that the apartment complex is planned to sit just 1/100th of a foot above the 100-year storm detention elevation.

“In the 100-year storm event, much of the parking will be inundated with two feet of water,” said Pyke. “It's a fairly substantial amount the way it's designed right now.”

Pyke pointed out that the project already plans for the addition of three feet of fill dirt, but to meet the storm water detention standard, another two feet of fill dirt will be required.

“It’s a heavy lift,” said Pyke. “And it's also quite an expense, because you're already sitting at about three feet of fill as it is now. I'm basically telling you, you’ve gotta raise everything up two feet.”

It was recommended that the developer ask for a continuance on its plans so that the elevation and water line issues could be addressed. Though the developer had just two weeks to make the changes, they opted to remain on the agenda, at least for now.

The plat committee voted to move the cases forward to the plan commission on Jan. 14.

In other action, the plat committee approved primary and final plat for the subdivision of property owned by Borg-Warner along South Goyer Road. The subdivision detaches a parcel of land occupied by the Kindercare Microchips Learning Center. This new parcel will go before the Kokomo Plan Commission on Jan. 14, seeking a rezoning away from high-intensity industrial and into a commercial designation.