Applicant withdraws special-exemption request for proposed home for women and children; board dismisses docket item

The Town of Merrillville zoning board dismissed a docket item after the applicant informed staff it would not pursue a property intended for a home for women and children.

The item, listed as Z7E2-0626 and announced for an applicant recorded as Sandra Caras Cula, sought a special-exemption approval under section 21-136 for a 0.275-acre property at 1419 West 61st Avenue. Staff read an email dated June 10, 2026 from Shardai (the message signs off as Chararda), identified in the message as CEO of For the Love of Arts Incorporated, stating the organization would not pursue the property because of “substantial property damage due to termites” and that it would look for another suitable site.

After the staff read the message, a board member moved to dismiss the petition. During the call for votes one attendee said, “I opposed,” but the chair announced the docket item dismissed. No formal roll-call vote tally in favor or opposed was recorded in the transcript for this dismissal.

The board did not discuss remediation, alternatives, or next steps for the parcel on the public record during the meeting. The applicant’s withdrawal, as read into the record, was cited as the reason for dismissal.