The February meeting of the Broad Ripple Village Association Land Use and Development committee was held at Broad Ripple United Methodist Church on the 28th at 6pm. Three items were on the agenda. One did not show and another item was added to the agenda just before the meeting.

First on the agenda was petition 2012-ZON-003 located at 6280 Crittenden Avenue. This is a project to add four apartment units to an existing 12-unit apartment building. The site, about a block north of Broad Ripple Avenue along the south edge of Broad Ripple Park between Norwaldo and Crittenden, was originally built in 1966. This proposal would replace the space occupied by four carports with four new one-bedroom units. The existing parking would be reconfigured from 19 to 22 parking spots to accommodate the additional tenants.

There was much discussion with nearby residents of the site about parking issues and drainage. The petitioner said that the number of parking spots could be increased if needed. The board voted to support this petition. The hearing is set for March 22 with the Metropolitan Development Commission (MDC).

Next on the agenda was 2012-CAP-802 and 2012-CVR-802 for property located at 1035 Broad Ripple Avenue. This is Broad Ripple Station shopping center across the street from McDonald's. The project is to replace and update the existing pole sign for the center and incorporate an electronic variable message sign. The petitioner stated that most of the signage would be fixed, with a small portion dedicated to the message board. That portion could be used by the Village to announce events. There was discussion from the board about using it to also display art at times. The board also recommended that the message portion be moved to a lower position to make it easier for passersby to see. The hearing is scheduled for March 15, 2012, before the MDC Hearing Examiner but will be continued until April. The petitioner agreed to return to the BRVA committee meeting in March with updated plans for the sign.

The final item was for the proposed parking garage. The project needs a flood variance. It was thought that this variance was not needed, but now it is known that the city requires it. The board voted to support this petition.

The next public meeting of the Land Use committee will be March 27, 2012, at 6pm.