Council approves restaurant and indoor playground special exceptions with conditions

The Town of Merrillville council voted unanimously Nov. 11 to grant two special-exception permits recommended by the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Planning and Building Director Sheila Shine introduced the first petition to operate a Vietnamese/Cajun restaurant at 7219 Taft Street in a C-2 community-commercial zone. Petitioner Tuan Duong described a menu of Vietnamese dishes and seafood boils, daily hours of about 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and said seating and parking are adequate. The BZA had no remonstrators and approved the petition 5-0; council approved the special exception on a 7-0 roll-call vote.

The second petition asked to convert a former Ethan Allen store at 8000 Broadway (a 32,000-square-foot C-3 site) into an indoor children's playground. Petitioner Mo Ibrahim (representing 8000 Broadway LLC) said the project will include soft-play equipment, obstacle courses and other age-appropriate attractions, and that "total investment in a project will exceed $1,500,000." He said the business would offer a 20% discount to Merrillville residents and partner with local schools for field trips.

The BZA had recommended, and council accepted, a condition that an off-duty Merrillville police officer be on-site during operations. Merrillville Police Chief Noussas said off-duty coverage is an off-duty contract arrangement and expressed a desire to meet with the owners to clarify logistics and safety measures, citing past incidents at other facilities as a caution. A ward council member asked for a six-month review with the chief and planning director and proposed limits on the maximum age allowed; council discussed an age cap (ranging between 12–14) for the facility to limit high-school–age patrons. Petitioners said they would accept a 14-year age limit if necessary and emphasized hourly staff safety checks, certified jump-safety monitors and a "no unaccompanied minors" policy.

Council moved and approved the playground special exception with the stated conditions; roll-call vote was 7-0. The town will not issue a certificate of occupancy until parking-lot re-striping, lighting and other exterior improvements are completed, as discussed by planning staff.

Council members said they were pleased the project would repurpose a vacant building and create jobs, while cautioning that management and implementation follow-up will be critical to public safety and neighborhood impacts.