BROOKVILLE — Council approved the JLR Leasing final subdivision plat located on Heckathorn Road.

“The plat creates a 5.696-acre lot at 201 Heckathorn Road that will be the site for the Homestead Gathering Place, which will be a meeting facility for the Old German Baptist Church,” Brookville Law Director Rod Stephan said.

Stephan advised council that planning commission, at its Feb. 15 meeting, approved the special use request application submitted by the church.

Stephan also noted planning commission, on Feb. 15, approved the JLR Leasing final subdivision plat for the project.

At the Feb. 15 planning commission meeting, Stephan said the church plans to build an 18.327 square-foot building that will consist of meeting rooms and a recreation area.

“The property is zoned R-1A (residential). Churches and other buildings for the purpose of religious worship are special use set forth in Section 1121.02 (b) (3) of the R-1A zoning district,” Stephan noted.

Brookville Mayor Chuck Letner, at the Feb. 15 meeting, asked when will construction start and when will it end.

“If this would be approved, we would hope to start this spring at least with dirt work and hopefully to be finished I would suppose at least in 2025. We would hope to have at least the shell of the building up and being worked on this year,” Daryl Deaton, a member of the Old German Baptist Church, replied.

“I’m kind of speaking for our neighbors to the north of the property (Meadows of Brookville residents). They went through the final phase of that development and there’s been a lot of construction noise. I’m just trying to keep it at a minimal impact,” Letner said.

“We would do all we could to keep the noise to a minimum and get it done as quickly as possible,” Deaton said.

Deaton also said the building to be constructed on Heckathorn Road will not be used in the same fashion as the building the church owns on Wolf Creek Pike.

“That is our meeting house,” Deaton said of the building on Wolf Creek Pike.

“This (the building proposed to be built on Heckathorn Road) would be for family gatherings, youth activities and singings. This will be used for church people and their young people to use for whatever might be needed,” Deaton continued.

In other business, council approved the Meadow Glen Subdivisions B and C final plats.

Council’s approval followed planning commission’s approval of the two final subdivision plats at its Feb. 15 meeting.

“Meadowdale Glen subdivision B provides for the extension of Bruns Drive and the establishment of a new street to be known as Fledgling Way,” Stephan said.

“Meadowdale Glen subdivision C will replat the existing Bruns Drive as a public street. Public sidewalks will be installed in both new subdivisions,” Stephan continued.

Stephan said the subdivisions are being submitted as a necessary step in the Bruns Apartments, Phase 2 project.

“The Phase 2 project will create 19 four-unit buildings and two two-unit buildings along the extensions of Bruns Drive and Fledgling Way,” Stephan said.

Stephan noted planning commission approved the preliminary plat for the Bruns Apartments, Phase 2 project at its Jan. 18 meeting.

Letner asked at the Feb.15 planning commission meeting is there is a time line on the build out of the apartments.

“I’m expecting them to start this year on the infrastructure and we’re hoping the street will be completed this year,” Stephan said.

“I think the engineer for the project indicated at the last meeting (Jan. 18) they may build one building this year, so it’s going to take multiple years before the buildings are built,” Stephan continued.

A total of 80 apartments are planned to be built.

There are currently seven buildings mostly comprised of four units in each building already located adjacent to where the new buildings will be built.

Reach Terry Baver at [email protected].