A Zoning Nightmare
How would you like to come home after work one day and find out that a gas station is going to be built in the middle of your neighborhood?
Would you like to see a new house going up in the parking lot of a neighborhood shopping center?
Your neighbor just built a do it yourself addition to the side of their house and it extends to an inch of the property line. Is this reasonable?
Fortunately, the City of Indianapolis has zoning ordinances which prohibit these kinds of things. Zoning ordinances have been around for decades. There was a 625-page revision to the ordinances in 2015 and a 642-page revision in 2018. Revisions are made because of technology, traffic flow, environmental reasons, property value reasons (gives the city more property tax revenues), political climate, etc. Indy Rezone
As a Realtor, I was fortunate to find out about the Pike Township Residents Association (ptra.net) about 20 years ago. PTRA is an organization that hears presentations from builders, developers, homeowners, attorneys, etc. regarding zoning and zoning variances. The Board of Directors votes on the presentation. Although our vote is not binding, it weighs heavily with Indianapolis Zoning who makes the final decision.
I have seen hundreds of presentations asking for many types of zoning and zoning variances over the past 20 years. It has helped me see the numerous changes in Pike Township and how they came about. It is tremendous training for a Realtor. I was privy to information of new communities going into Pike usually a year or two in advance and how they might affect property values.
The meetings are open to the public. Neighbors are notified of zoning changes and variances if close by. It is interesting to hear their thoughts and concerns. Some are very well thought out.
Pike is very fortunate to have an organization like this. We are one of the few townships that do.
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