Wayne County Board of Zoning Appeals approved five petitions — two requesting additions for ag businesses, another seeking acreage reduction for poultry, a mining business expanding its property and a chiropractor moving his operations locally — at its Oct. 8 meeting.
Hally Jordan and James Spears’ petition to reduce minimum lot acreage to accommodate 14 poultry at 2274 W. Tingler Road, Richmond, was met with public concern. The couple stated the animals are fenced in, flightless and have become part of their family. Spears had the current five ducks and seven chickens labeled as emotional support animals.
Neighbors Marvin Smith and LaDonna Fields cited an uptick in mole, field mice and mosquito activity and a manure smell. Jordan and Spears countered that their animals are deterrents to rodents and their pond is aerated and free of mosquitoes. A kiddie pool was removed due to standing water attracting mosquitos.
Barrett Paving Materials Inc. petitioned for a special exception to expand its limestone mining business from 26 to 73.6 acres north on a vacant parcel located at the southeast corner of Hollansburg Road. They had previously leased the land before purchasing it. George Sowers and Monty Yates, a company geologist, spoke on Barrett’s behalf, stating that the expansion was necessary to provide local service against rising costs of transporting gravel for customers.
Neighbor Joseph Butler expressed concern about the expansion potentially impacting his well-water supply and thought the board needed more information before deciding. Yates assured that if any issues arose, the company would make it right and exchanged his card with Butler after the public hearing.
Victor Berger, who has lived in the area for 22 years, cited observing operational hours past the listed 4 a.m.-6 p.m. hours stated in the petition. Due to state-mandated work like the current I-70 project, Yates said that they are required to work overtime hours to meet project deadlines. In that case, Yates agreed to recognize normal hours with the expectation that extended hours may sometimes be necessary. Board member Mathew Berger, no relation to Victor, recommended better communication to residents when those incidents would occur.
Two business owners — Gideon Lapp and Andrew Beiler — look to add additions to house future repair shops. Lapp proposed a 60’ x 100’ building to offer farm equipment repairs and sell machinery parts for retail and wholesale at 5127 W. Fountain City Pike, Williamsburg. Repairs would be focused on horse-drawn and ag equipment. Beiler will add a temporary 40’ x 64’ barn near his home for buggy assembly before building a larger structure on land owned by his father, Amos E. Beiler Jr.
Both would serve a community with limited forms of transportation. Lapp sought to staff three employees, with Beiler reducing his employee number from 10 to 5, excluding family members. Board member Danny Phelps cautioned that both businesses should remain focused on serving a local customer base within east central Indiana.
Last, Richard Warvel, 11391 Woodard Road, Economy, petitioned for a 24’ x 40’ pole barn and gravel parking lot to house his son’s chiropractic business. The 2-acre property would serve as a health service to the community, and would save his son, Brent Warvel, from a daily commute to Greenfield. They have owned the property for 15 years and the structure would employ local crews. Planning administrator Angela Ebacher stated they were previously approved for a commercial driveway.
The next scheduled meeting is Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. in the Wayne County Administration Building, 401 E. Main St., Richmond. The public may attend.
A version of this article appeared in the October 21 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
