Kokomo City Planning Commission approves multiple development plans, recommends several rezones to Common Council

The Kokomo City Planning Commission on April 8, 2025 approved a series of development plans and subdivision plats and voted to recommend several rezoning requests to the Kokomo Common Council, including requests for a church parking lot, a proposed apartment complex, and a hospital-affiliated medical facility.

The actions, taken during a regularly scheduled meeting, covered primary and final plats, development-plan approvals and zone-change petitions. Most items drew routine staff presentations and brief applicant remarks; several items received questions from nearby residents. The commission approved or forwarded every item on the agenda that was heard that evening and recorded four continuances earlier in the meeting.

Votes at a glance:

- Case PO1A25 — Fire Station No. 6, development-plan approval. Jason Spain, a representative of HWC Engineering, presented the development plan for Fire Station Number 6 at the address listed in the filing as 1717 East Golden Army. The commission voted to approve the development plan. (Motion and second: not specified; recorded vote: unanimous “aye.”)

- Case P07Z25 — Kokomo First Church of the Nazarene, rezoning recommendation. Kevin Cox, representing the petitioner, said the church tore down two deteriorated buildings and intends to install a parking lot so the church will be more visible from East Lincoln Road. Staff recommended rezoning two parcels at 204 and 212 East Lincoln Road from C-1 (small- to medium-scale general commercial) to IS (institutional). The commission voted to forward a favorable recommendation to the Kokomo Common Council.

- Case P08Z25 — District Flats LLC, rezoning recommendation to M-3 for apartments. Tory Tripp of Tripp Engineering and Consulting described a proposed apartment complex the applicant said would include four buildings, a clubhouse and roughly "a total of a 100 units" (the applicant listed unit counts in his packet: 61 one-bedroom and 42 two-bedroom units as stated by the presenter). Staff noted surrounding zoning, traffic information and that the site is currently designated for general commercial in the comprehensive plan. The commission voted to forward a favorable recommendation to the Common Council.

- Case P02P25 — Circle L Minor Subdivision, primary and final plat approval. Elaine Phelps of 40 Parallel Surveying presented the plat for property at approximately 4376 South 50 East. The commission approved the primary and final plat.

- Case PO3P25 / PO3A25 — Maple Crest / Dutch Bros., primary and final plat and development-plan approval. Mike Timko, civil engineer with Kimley‑Horn, presented a plat to create the Dutch Bros. lot within the Maple Crest development and the associated development plan. He told the commission the Board of Zoning Appeals had approved a variance related to right-of-way frontage and that access easements will be recorded. The commission approved the plat and the associated development plan for the drive‑through coffee use. The applicant said Dutch Bros. will operate as a drive‑through only business (no indoor seating).

- Case P05A25 — Ellwood mixed‑use multifamily development, development-plan approval. The petitioner presented materials previously reviewed as part of a planned-unit development (PUD). The commission approved the development plan.

- Case P06A25 — Crewe (Crew) Car Wash, development-plan approval. Paul Wyman, representing Crew Car Wash, described the company’s history of local investment and fundraising participation and presented a proposal for a new car-wash at the southeast corner of Center Road and U.S. 31, the site of the existing BP station as stated in his remarks. The commission approved the development plan; staff noted required permits remain to be issued before construction.

- Planning Commission Order No. 2025-02 (TIF-related declaratory resolution). The commission considered a declaratory resolution adopted by the Cultural Redevelopment Commission that removes certain properties from allocation areas and amends economic-development plans. Staff identified the affected area near Cooper and Morgan streets and referenced the Ferris Center development and a proposed project named "Project Harmony." The commission approved the order; meeting remarks included differing statements about whether the matter proceeds to the Common Council, and the record reflects some on-the-record confusion about subsequent procedure.

- Case PO9Z25 — Community Howard Regional Health Inc., rezoning recommendation for a medical facility. Tim Button, attorney with Riley Benedek Lopft (as identified in the filing), presented a request to rezone a single parcel at 3520 South (address as listed in the application) from M-2 multifamily residential to IS institutional to permit a proposed medical facility. Button said, "what's proposed is this will be a cancer center" for the hospital. Staff said the parcel is within the health office center overlay and listed a traffic count of 14,831 cars per day on the adjacent street; residents asked whether the change would affect neighboring private property and staff clarified the rezoning applies only to the single parcel in question. The commission voted to forward a favorable recommendation to the Common Council.

Continuances and procedural notes: The director opened the meeting by announcing four continuances (cases PO2A25, PO4A25, P10Z25 and P11Z25) that were not heard because wetlands issues or advertising errors required postponement. The meeting then proceeded with the items summarized above.

Public comment and neighborhood concerns: Several residents asked procedural and use questions on specific items. For the proposed hospital-affiliated rezoning, residents asked what type of medical facility was planned and whether their properties would be rezoned; the applicant and staff replied that plans were not final but that the proposal was for a cancer center and that the rezoning would apply only to the parcel under consideration. For the Dutch Bros. petition, an adjacent property owner asked where the drive-through would sit in relation to the shopping center and staff replied the lot is part of the single parcel advertised to adjacent owners.

What the commission said and next steps: For items that required Common Council action the commission’s recorded motions were to forward favorable recommendations; the Common Council will consider those rezoning requests at a later date. Development-plan approvals and plats will be recorded and move toward permitting and site work as applicants obtain required permits.

Ending: The commission approved the claims on the meeting calendar and adjourned after completing the agenda.