HANCOCK COUNTY — The Hancock County Commissioners have unanimously approved a request for a Mt. Comfort company to expand its facility to the west, much to the dismay of nearby residents.
Brybelly, a business that develops, warehouses and distributes a variety of products, is doubling its 200,000-square foot facility, 7284 W. County Road 200N, westward toward Buck Creek Road in Mt. Comfort. The company, which moved to Hancock County in 2016, wants a driveway for semitrailer trucks onto Buck Creek Road, but a zoning commitment on the property prohibits such access.
The Hancock County Area Plan Commission voted 5-2 two weeks ago in favor of sending the county commissioners a positive recommendation to remove the commitment.
The Peterson Company of Indianapolis is the developer for the project and would overlay and widen Buck Creek Road from 18 feet to 24 feet between the new driveway and the road’s intersection with West County Road 200N. Larry Siegler, chief operating officer and managing partner of the Peterson Company, said the company originally wanted two entrances onto Buck Creek Road — one for semis and another for automobiles — but the need to expand a retention pond in the area slimmed down the scope to one road.
Several area residents spoke against the proposal at the commissioners meeting on Monday, voicing the same concerns they did in front of the plan commission. They said the new arrangement will cause more truck traffic along Buck Creek Road. Some said they see a few semis travel up and down the road every few days, and others said industrial expansion in general in the area has caused drainage problems.
Signage and a geometric curb feature at the intersection would direct semi truck traffic south on Buck Creek Road toward 200N and away from the residences north of Brybelly, Siegler said. He also said they would add ditches and a multi-use walking path along the east side of Buck Creek Road.
The commissioners agreed to remove the zoning commitment on Monday, with the stipulation that the Peterson Company and Brybelly would widen the road; and also add the trail, ditches, directional controls at the new intersection and signage to deter truck traffic from turning north on Buck Creek Road.
Brybelly is in its 15th year. It started out in a garage selling poker chips before evolving into developing, warehousing and distributing thousands of different products. From 2016, when the firm moved to Hancock County, through 2018, sales grew 73 percent and inventory grew 100 percent, according to co-founder Jeff Smith. Brybelly has more than 35 brands and is the 200th largest seller on Amazon, according to the company.
Brybelly specializes in a concept called “drop shipping,” which allows smaller online sellers to market products without maintaining large inventories themselves. Instead, Brybelly carries those products and ships orders on behalf of the online sellers using the sellers’ own packing lists.
