The Kokomo City Planning Commission voted Aug. 12 to forward a favorable recommendation to the Kokomo Common Council to rezone 1825 South Place Street from Neighborhood Commercial (NC) to C-2 medium general commercial, a step the applicant said is necessary before seeking a special exception to operate a retail gun shop.

Andrea Townsend, an attorney with the firm identified in the record as Clou Shatley, Richard, and Braun, told the commission she represents Zappo Enterprises, the prospective purchaser of the property. Townsend said the purchaser’s intended tenant is Sabo Enterprises, which operates as Shooter’s Enquarium and has run a retail gun shop and shooting-range business in Kokomo for about five years. Townsend said the business is federally licensed with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and that the owner plans a retail-only operation at the new address.

The rezoning request, filed as case P19Z25, was presented to the commission by Director Schieland, who summarized staff analysis and the Kokomo comprehensive plan consistency. The staff report said the property sits in an area designated for “general commercial” in the future land-use map and that surrounding parcels include C-2 and office-commercial uses. According to the staff report, Plate Street is classified as a major collector and a traffic count for the corridor was listed at roughly 2,360 vehicles per day. Staff recommended the commission forward a favorable recommendation to the Common Council.

Townsend told the commission that the rezoning is the first step; a separate special-exception application to operate a retail gun shop has been submitted to the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) and is scheduled for review Sept. 2. Commission members discussed whether to make the rezoning recommendation contingent on BZA approval; Townsend said the applicant could leave the rezoning off the council agenda until after the BZA hearing if the commission preferred. The commission voted in favor of the rezoning recommendation; the minutes record the vote as “All in favor… Aye” and the motion carried.

The commission’s favorable recommendation will be placed before the Kokomo Common Council for final action. The applicant indicated the BZA hearing is Sept. 2 and said the council’s second reading would follow that process if needed.