To the editor:

Zoning laws were first drafted in the United States by the U.S. Commerce Department around 1920. These ordinances established zoning districts to promote public health, safety, comfort, convenience and general welfare. The three fundamental districts are residential, commercial and industrial. It is not difficult for any of us to understand why these land uses would be separated, based on these fundamental use districts.

Zoning boards are allowed great discretion when deciding exceptions to the use of land in these districts. This is where the problems start to occur.

I recently attended the Brown County Board of Zoning Appeals meeting. One after another, special exceptions were being presented to the board for their consideration. One citizen was requesting the use of a residential home as a tourist rental. Another was requesting the use of a barn as a wedding/event venue. Then there was the use of a piece of property for an industrial use that would store explosives.

These all may seem to be justifiable uses in our small county. The question then becomes what happens to adjoining property?

Indiana Law Review wrote an article about the effects of non-conforming uses in zoning districts (https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ilj/vol30/iss4). The article was based on a study conducted in Bloomington. The results showed that blight and substandard dwellings developed in over 50 percent of the neighborhoods. It simply makes sense.

As these special exceptions, variances and zoning changes occur in Brown County, one has to wonder when real estate buyers will no longer have confidence to buy property here. Hard to make a real estate investment when one has no idea from one day to the next what will be the use of the property next door.

Sherrie Mitchell, Brown County

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