What is being considered?

About this rezoning

Current status: Filed. Under review by County Planning Staff
Meetings with adjoining property owners begin first week of May. Documents posted here after filing.
Site Map
Overall Site Plan Area
Combined PUD — Two proprietors, one standard

While part of the site is already zoned PUD, specific to a data center, including all of the properties will allow for the potential of a more successful development with increased development standards throughout. ( The original rezoning included vary few of the compatibility considerations included in the udated filing.)

The proposed DPUD incorporates approximately 426 acres currently owned by the Wilhelm family and 531 acres currently owned by the Kauffman family. There is no contingent owner or specific user at this time. The proposed DPUD is being designed to allow the flexibility of a single user for the entire site or to be developed separately. The enhanced standards have been developed to provide extra protections for surrounding residential users.

how this works

The rezoning process

Rezoning in Elkhart County follows a defined public process with multiple opportunities for community input.

1
Neighbor Outreach

Focus group meetings with residents immediately adjoining the site.

On-going
2
Filing submission

DPUD application submitted with all required plans and narratives.

Current Phase
3
Adjoiner notification

All landowners within 300 ft. notified in writing by the County of hearing date.

4
Plan Commission hearing

A public hearing will be scheduled by the County - tentatively July 9th - at 4230 Elkhart Rd; Goshen, IN 46526A

5
Town Council hearing

Petition moves to a second public hearing before Bristol Town Council. Tentatively August 6th - at 303 E Vistula St.; Bristol, IN 46507

Putting it in perspective

What M-1 development looks like

M-1 zoning covers a wide range of facilities. Below are examples of the kinds of modern, landscaped industrial and manufacturing campuses this designation can support — none of these are renderings of the Bristol site.

Data center example
Modern campus facility

Low-profile buildings with extensive landscaping and buffering — a common approach in Midwest rural settings.

MANUFACTURING example
Light industrial facility

M-1 zoning supports many uses beyond data centers — light manufacturing, distribution, and assembly facilities.

BUFFER AREA example
Landscaping & view sheds

The DPUD filing includes required buffer areas, view shed reserves, and protected resources surrounding the site.

Photos above are illustrative examples only and are not renderings of the proposed Bristol site. Actual facility type and appearance will be determined through the DPUD approval process.

Before anything is built

Required Studies & Commitments

As part of this rezoning petition, the following studies, analyses, and site conditions will be required. These are not optional — they are self-imposed requirements woven into the DPUD ordinance itself. All are a pre-requisite to project final approval.

Geotechnical study

A full geotechnical study must be completed before finalizing any mass grading design for the site.

Required pre-design
Hydro-geological analysis

The analysis must produce a finding of "no significant impact" to the St. Joseph River aquifer prior to issuance of any construction permits.

Required before permits
Wetlands impact analysis

A wetlands impact study is required, including either a finding of "no significant impact" or an approved mitigation plan, prior to issuance of construction permits.

Required before permits
Stormwater management — pre-design report

A stormwater pre-design report must be completed and accepted before site design and construction activities begin.

Required pre-design
Traffic impact analysis & roadway agreements

The developer/end user is required to complete two separate traffic reports prior to design and construction activities: (1) a traffic analysis for the project at full build-out, and (2) a traffic analysis for the project during the construction phase. Any required roadway impact agreements must also be executed prior to permit issuance.

Two reports required pre-design
Erosion control & stormwater permitting

The project must comply with the Indiana Construction Stormwater General Permit requirements, including all required erosion control measures throughout construction.

Indiana CSGP compliance
Municipal utility study

A utility study covering municipal water and sewer infrastructure capacity and routing must be completed as part of the pre-design process.

Required pre-design
Dust monitoring & mitigation

The work site must include active dust mitigation when conditions require. The site developer is responsible for continuously monitoring emissions and activating mitigation measures when needed or as required by the Town of Bristol. This obligation applies throughout site construction activities and development.

Ongoing during construction
Site construction & buffering elements

As a condition of DPUD approval, the future site developer will commit to initiating all required buffering, screening, and view shed elements as described in the development covenants. These elements are a condition of approval, not an afterthought.

Condition of DPUD approval
Binding commitment
Conditions as part of the PUD ordinance

All conditions and commitments outlined above are included in the rezoning ordinance through the PUD narrative or restrictive covenants. These are not voluntary pledges. They are legally binding conditions of the rezoning.

Filing materials

Project documents

All DPUD filing documents will be posted here following submission.

PUD narrative

Written description of project intent

Filed
Project site map

Parcel boundaries and context

Filed
Preliminary Plat/DPUD

Official parcel configuration and planned unit development filing

Filed
Wetland Inventory and County Drains

Mapped wetland areas and existing county drain locations on site

Filed
Soil Inventory

Soil classification and composition across the project site

Filed
Utility master plan

Water and sanitary sewer routing and connection points

Filed
Site Grading

Preliminary grading plan and mass earthwork design approach

Filed
Stormwater management

Drainage and runoff controls

Filed
Landscape Buffers

Screening, view shed reserves, and vegetative buffer placements

Filed
Development covenants & restrictions

Allowable uses and restrictions

Filed
Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Factual answers to questions the community has raised about the rezoning and potential development.

What is a DPUD (Detailed Planned Unit Development)?
A DPUD is a specific type of zoning application under the Elkhart County Zoning Ordinance that allows for detailed, site-specific planning. It requires a comprehensive set of submitted plans and narratives, and a full public hearing process before approval.
How can I participate in the public process?
All landowners within 300 feet of the site will receive written notice of the Plan Commission hearing. Any member of the public may attend the hearing. There will also be a second public hearing before the Bristol Town Council. You may also submit questions through this portal beginning May 18th.
What kind of uses will be allowed?
The Bristol Innovation Park DPUD is set up to generally allow all M-1 uses, as established by the Elkhart County Development Ordinance. The M-1, Limited Manufacturing district is designed to accommodate less intense manufacturing, as well as warehousing and other similar uses. Because the specific use is not yet known, the DPUD includes extensive buffering, enhanced noise and lighting requirements, and a robust list of pre-design or design activities required with the site design plan submittals. The full list of uses can be found in the proposed development standards for the DPUD, including ...
Light manufacturing

Assembly, fabrication, and production facilities with limited external impact

Warehousing & distribution

Storage and logistics facilities serving regional supply chains

Research & development

Technical labs, testing facilities, and product development centers

Technology & data centers

Server infrastructure, cloud computing, and telecommunications facilities

Trade & contractor services

Service yards, equipment storage, and trade contractor operations

Auto & vehicle services

Fleet maintenance, auto repair, and vehicle service operations

Food & beverage production

Processing plants, packaging facilities, and commercial food production

Building materials & supply

Lumber yards, building supply operations, and materials processing

Utility & energy facilities

Substations, utility infrastructure, and energy-related operations

Important:
The specific list of permitted uses for this site will be governed by the terms of the approved DPUD. The examples above are illustrative of what M-1 zoning commonly allows — the official ordinance is the definitive reference.
I heard this was going to be a datacenter. Is that true?
We don’t know who the user of the site will be. There are currently no prospects. The plan is being designed to allow for a wide variety of M-1 uses, including a datacenter, while providing provisions that will serve as protections for surrounding rural residential properties.
What is a residential buffer?
A residential buffer is a set of design elements that separate non-residential development from neighboring homes, reducing impacts like sound, light, and visibility. In the Bristol Innovation Park, this includes multiple techniques. Increased setbacks are incorporated to ensure a new M-1 building cannot be located within 500’ of any existing residential structure. A robust, three tier landscape design standard is required for all buffer areas including evergreen trees, deciduous trees, and native prairie grasses. In areas adjoining homes, a landscape berm between 8-10 ft will be used in combination with the landscaping to provide an affective barrier to light and sound impacts of the M-1 development.
Will this affect traffic in the area?
Preliminary access points to adjoining roadways were included as part of the required DPUD filing. The PUD conditions require extensive traffic impact studies as a part of the "due-diligence" phase of planning. These studies will carefully assess new volumes and will outline specific requirements needed to manage traffic of the project.
What is being done to protect residents from light and sound impacts?
The Bristol Innovation Park DPUD includes lighting and sound level regulations that are more restrictive than anything else in the Bristol area or applied to traditional development in Elkhart County. The proposed DPUD uses well established dark sky requirements to ensure lighting is downward and inward focused and does not incrouch into neighboring properties. This is done with a detailed photometric plan required prior to the issuance of permits.
The DPUD introduces a protective limitation designed to address both A-weighted and C-weighted sound, incorporating levels that are lower than the current Sound Ordinance approved in Bristol. Any potential developer will be required to submit an acoustic model to demonstrate they can comply with the required regulations prior to the issuance of permits. In addition to the included ordinance, the DPUD includes extensive residential buffering including 3-levels of vegetation and the use of external berms. Landscape buffers are an effective, visually pleasing way to mitigate sound impact. This approach is unprecedented in the area around Bristol.
What is the difference between A-weighted and C-weighted sound?
There are different frequency ratings when it comes to recognizing and limiting sound impacts. The frequency rating relates to the response by the human ear. A-weighting (dbA) mimics how our ears perceive sound by cutting out low and very high frequencies. This weighting is typically used to evaluate environmental sounds. C-weighting (dbC) captures low-frequency emissions. This weighting is typically used to evaluate equipment sounds. Most ordinances deal exclusively in A-weighted classifications. The proposed ordinance includes C-weighted requirements to add another level of protection for residents.
But what do the sound levels mean in real life?
There is a lot of discussion in the media recently about sound emissions. How sounds travel and what happens to these levels with distance and buffering is not a linear relationship. There is logarithmic equation that can help demonstrate what happens to sound with distance. There are useful tools that can help demonstrate this function: https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics/distance-attenuation. The regulations included in the DPUD are measured at the property line (you can use 1’ in the equation).  Below are examples of what sound equivalencies are
What happens to water and utilities?
A Utility Master Plan covering sanitary sewer and water routes is a required part of the filing. This plan will be publicly available here once the application is submitted.

The site will be required to connect to and use the Town of Bristol's water and sewer. Until an end user is identified, expected volumes are unkown. There is no expectation that the Innovation Park will require more capacity than the Town can provide. Just the same, carefully prepared studies are required by the PUD "self imposed" conditions and will be required prior to project permitting.
Public input

Submit a question

Questions may be submitted beginning June 1, 2025. Project team members will respond — response time depends on volume received.

This portal is specific to rezoning matters. Comments will not be published verbatim but will be shared with the design team.
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Resources

Informational links

Education
Data Centers & Communities

Economic and infrastructure facts – coming soon

Filed Documents
DPUD Narrative

Available after filing

Filed Documents
DPUD Site Plans

Available after filing

Elkhart County
PUD Zoning Ordinance

Planned Unit Development requirements

Elkhart County
M-1 Land Use Regulations

Official permitted uses under M-1 manufacturing zoning

Bristol Innovation Park — Kauffman/Wilhelm Rezoning
This portal is specific to rezoning matters. Questions may be submitted beginning June 1, 2026.