Flying J Tries to Land Again

NEW HAVEN, Ind. -- After an arduous legal battle between this city and travel plaza operator Flying J, the Indiana Supreme Court has decided not to hear the city's appeal to block the Ogden, Utah-based company from building a 17-acre travel plaza in town.

According to a News-Sentinel report, the facility, planned for Minnich Road and Indiana 930, would include a convenience store; country market; 24-hour restaurant; fast-food court; service stations with gasoline and diesel fuel; rest facility with showers and a laundry; computers with Internet access; and recreational vehicle services, including waste-tank disposal and parking for 11 RVs and 187 trucks.

Town opponents had stated that the truck fueling stations, waste-tank disposal and 24-hour parking for the large number of trucks doesn't fit the general commercial-use zoning for the land, or the city's master plan either, the report stated.

This recent court decision sides with the Indiana Court of Appeals' decision in November to allow Flying J to build the plaza. The appeals court reversed a lower court's decision that sided with the city in 2005.

The proposal was first brought in March 2005, and drew protests from local groups that stated the land was not meant for use as a truck stop facility, even through the company reported that it would bring at least 100 jobs and $2 million in payroll and tax money, the News-Sentential reported.

Company spokesman Mike Miller said he was pleased by the court's ruling and will work with his attorney and New Haven officials to figure out the next step in the process. "It will probably take a little time to get things settled," he told the paper.
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