Crooked Lake Association

We are now approaching three years in this battle against this attempted overdevelopment of our lake.

We now have dates for our administrative appeal hearing on the disastrous and ill-considered DNR decision to issue a permit for the huge proposed pier. The hearing will take place over two days during the first week in November in Indianapolis. It will include testimony as to safety, congestion and environmental impact of proposed group pier. We opposed it then and still do now based on significant boating safety concerns and overburdening of the lake ecosystem, damage to the lake by the pier in conjunction with our fluctuating lake levels, among other reasons. The DNR's decision is a huge mistake which will negatively impact CL forever.

Going on two years ago, the Steuben County Planning Commission approved the developer's primary plat petition for the housing development on the condition that they obtain a special exception from the Steuben County Board of Appeals for the group pier. In February, the Steuben County Circuit Court sided with the developer and reversed the Planning Commission’s imposition of the condition requiring a special exception for the group pier. The judge did not even address the provisions of Steuben County Subdivision Control Ordinance or the Steuben County Zoning Ordinance, which allow for the imposition of reasonable conditions by the government entities. Based on what we believe is a wrong decision founded on highly flawed reasoning, we have joined with the Steuben County Planning Commission and appealed the judge's decision. The documents for both sides have been submitted to the Court of Appeals and a three judge panel will be assigned to review the record and briefs and issue a written decision in the coming months.

Friends, because the proposed pier project will have such huge and far reaching negative impact for everyone's use and enjoyment of Crooked Lake, we continue to fight this to the end.

Make no mistake, we are not opposing the developers wish to build homes on the property, only the group pier. Preventing piers like the one proposed for third basin will serve important purposes that include preventing overcrowding of the lake by stopping a large backlot development from funneling dozens of families through a narrow lakefront lot, protect the environment by reducing heavy boat traffic on our narrow third basin, preventing shoreline erosion from wakes, wildlife habitat destruction and water pollution as well as maintaining safety by keeping boat docks, launching sites, and neighbors swimming areas from becoming dangerously congested.

We have been fortunate to raise funds from many of you to get us this far with both cases and we are extremely grateful. The Crooked Lake Association continues to unequivocally support our fight by being our co-party in the case with the DNR.

Because of community support, we have been able to pay our legal fees as they have been generated and do not have a significant legal debt. However, to get us to the finish line, we need additional funds. We can use the help of each and every person/family who lives on, near or has enjoyed Crooked Lake. Please consider making a donation to our legal fund. Each and every dollar donated has gone and will go directly to supporting this fight.

You can donate a few different ways: by donating online, by scanning the QR code below with your phone camera or by mailing your donation check to:
Brian Strahm
P.O. Box 29
Hoagland, IN 46745
Memo: “Crooked Lake Appeal Fund”

We hope you'll support us both with donations and by spreading the word because supporting us in this fight is supporting everyone's interests in preserving and valuing our beautiful Crooked Lake. By setting the precedent of no more group piers here, we can help prevent abuse of lake capacity by developers in every other Indiana lake in the future.