Hobart businessman has plans for auto repair shop

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Updated: March 7, 2012 8:05AM

HOBART — One of the gateways into the city would be spruced up with a new business and improved look, according to a proposal being considered by the Plan Commission.

Local businessman Dwayne Hickman told the commission Thursday he wants to tear down the existing building at the southwest corner of Indiana 130 and Cleveland Avenue and build an auto repair shop.

He said there would be no outdoor storage and no fuel sold.

He said a metal building on the property would be painted and used for storage.

The location formerly was a used car lot.

City planners were amenable to Hickman’s plans but said they want to ensure the corner is aesthetically pleasing.

“We consider this site a gateway to the city, and it’s bisected by a well-traveled bike trail. This is an entirely new development, and we want it to meet aesthetic standards,” City Planner A.J. Bytnar said.

The front of the property would be landscaped, a 6-foot-high decorative fence would be erected on the south and west portions of the property, and a pond would be built in the back.

Commission member Stuart Allen said if the Indiana Department of Transportataion someday builds a roundabout at the intersection it would require more right-of-way from the property.

The commission agreed to hold a public hearing on Hickman’s plan.