Kokomo Board of Zoning Appeals approves several variances and special exceptions including home dojo, firearm auctioneer, car wash and Dutch Bros outlot

KOKOMO — The Kokomo Board of Zoning Appeals approved several petitions at a meeting where four of five board members were present, granting special exceptions and variances that affect residential home-occupation rules, downtown commercial redevelopment, firearms auctioning, a new car-wash site and an outlot for a drive-through coffee shop.

The approvals included: a special exception for a home-based martial-arts school at 3155 Congress Drive; variances to allow a new garage/warehouse building at 319 West Jefferson Street; a special-handling retail exception to permit auctions that include firearms at 228 West Butler Street; a special exception and related variances for a Crew Car Wash at the southeast corner of State Road 931 and Center Road; and variances to create an outlot and sign allowance for a Dutch Bros drive-through at 2901 South Washington Street.

Why it matters: The decisions change permissible uses at the named addresses, allowing new commercial activity in residential and commercial zones. Several petitions sought relief from dimensional standards or special handling rules in order to reuse existing lots, add buildings for small businesses, or permit limited on-site storage and auctioning of firearms.

Robert Sylvester, the petitioner for a home occupation at 3155 Congress Drive, told the board the dojo will be located in an attached garage and that he plans classes of about three to five students, typically Monday through Thursday, with sessions lasting roughly 75 minutes. "I can assure the plan commission that…