The Brown County Area Plan Commission voted last week to make a positive recommendation in the rezone of a property on Greasy Creek Road from Secondary Residential (R2) to General Business (GB).

Property owners and petitioners Jim and Teresa Schultz have owned the two-acre property since the 1980s, where they operated an office space for their electrical business. A special exception for that operation was approved in 1993.

The property is home to a farmhouse, garage, two small sheds and two large barns.

The house and all of the barns were on the property well before the Schultz family owned it, since either 1895 or 1905, Jim told the APC.

Jim told the APC that due to his age and no one taking over the business, that they asked themselves, “What do we want to do with this?”

With the Brown County Council and Commissioners pursuing the addition of tourist homes in the community since the 1990s, Jim told the APC that many homes have been taken out of short-term rental or residential properties for people to live in, and now the county is fighting lack of diverse housing options.

The lack of options inspired the Schultz’s plan for rezoning their property to GB and converting the structures to rental options for those looking for housing in the area.

The idea is to use the existing buildings as Brown County Art Farm, with the idea to allow affordable housing and work space for small businesses.

According to a planning and zoning staff report, one of the existing barns will be remodeled into two separate, one-bedroom apartments with a studio space. The remaining barn could be used as a three-bedroom home or a large workspace.

The Schultzes also hope to add covenants to allow small, quiet, non-polluting, low-traffic businesses.

This opportunity for business would be open to artists, writers, craft makers, gardeners, small web-based businesses, graphic designers, 3-D printers, frame makers, seamstresses and small educational classes.

Switching this to a residential operation will be less traffic into the property, Jim told the APC at its April 25 meeting.

The priority, Jim said, incorporates a vision presented by Regional Opportunities Initiative (ROI) in 2019 to increase affordable/workforce housing that is safe and affordable, and provide healthy housing markets for all income levels and stages.

“Brown County doesn’t have that right now. It’s something of the past – it’s gone,” Jim said.

Jim said that according to ROI, without “available, affordable, quality housing … the region will not be able to accommodate the people needed to prosper.”

Their goal is to put two small apartments in one of the barns, and have the farmhouse as a three-bedroom home for a small family, or someone who has the need to run a very small business in another building on the property.

“We need a place where people can start out, and that’s what those two little apartments will be,” Teresa said.

“Someone who wants to start out, go into the art business – you don’t make much money doing art.

“Things are lacking for people to move here. How many tourist homes do we have here? Where are (potential residents) going to live? How are they going to start out? It’s not easy for these young people to start, and they don’t come here. … There’s a need for a new ordinance for people to develop these little pods of community.”

Artist and writer Jeff Hagen moved to Brown County three years ago, and advocated on behalf of the request.

Hagen and his partner Pam Keech reside on the property.

When Hagen decided he wanted to live in Brown County, he said he faced the obstacle of finding affordable housing. Then he met the Schultzes.

“I’m entrenched in the community, I really like it, and I don’t think I would’ve had that opportunity had (the Schultz family) not offered it to me, because it’s affordable,” he said.

“I think the fact they’re going to offer this as ‘affordable’ will attract other artists and writers. I urge you to approve this, I suggest that you do it, I think it’s a real asset to the community.”

APC President Randy Jones said that a rezone from residential to general business opens the property up for other things, beyond the scope of what the Schultzes have planned.

That zoning, he said, goes with the land, not the owner.

APC member Jane Gore said that she thinks the APC would open itself up to issues should it recommend the rezoning of the property.

General business zoning would allow for a variety of businesses to be on a property, including:

Boarding house, lodging house, fraternity, sorority, student Cooperative, nursing home, private swimming pool, light industrial, radio or TV tower, slaughterhouse, church, kindergarten, government building, police station, water supply, employee parking, bowling alley, flea market, mortuary and more.

Some businesses do require general business zoning with a special exception.

APC member Andy Voils said that he takes rezoning from residential to business “very seriously,” and added that the Schultzes are “very well invested in the community,” and have “paid their dues.”

“While I’d be more hesitant to turn any acreage into general business, I think this is an applicable use of the property,” Voils said.

APC members Voils, Jones, Carol Bowden and Dave Harden voted yes to make a positive recommendation to commissioners. Gore voted no. APC members Kara Hammes and Kyle Deckard were absent.

The request will now go before the commissioners, who will ultimately decide if the property will be rezoned. The next commissioner meeting is Wednesday, May 3 at 2 p.m. in the Salmon Room at the County Office Building, 201 Locust Lane.