ALBION â The Noble County Commissioners on Monday paved the way for a retail development at the southwest corner of where U.S. 6 intersects with C.R. 300E near the S.R. 9 North route to Rome City.
The commissioners agreed to change the zoning on 2.77 acres from A1 to C-3, âhighway commercial,â to allow for a 10,000-square-foot single business retail shop.
Permitted uses in a C-3 zone include businesses running retail ranging from low- to high-intensity but could also include things like automotive shops, bars/taverns, coffee shops, gas stations or restaurants, according to the countyâs Unified Development Ordinance.
The petitioner has said it intends to put in what it would only describe as âgeneral retailâ in the location.
ALBION â The Noble County Highway Department is moving away from using inmates from Chain Oâ Lakes Correctional Facility as part of its manpower.
Noble County Highway Department Superintendent Richard Rogers and Engineer Zack Smith addressed the issue with the Noble County Commissioners Monday morning.
Rogers and Smith have adjusted how the highway departmentâs full-time work force is utilized, allowing for more productivity even when the prison crews were available.
âWeâre getting more done,â Rogers told the commissioners.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the highway department hasnât been able to utilize a prison crew for more than a year. The last full year the crews were available, Noble County Highway only had the use of a crew 70 times, Smith said.