Planning commission backs Play It Again Sports secondhand retail use

The Bartlett Planning Commission voted unanimously Jan. 5 to recommend that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen approve a special-use permit allowing a Play It Again Sports secondhand retail store to operate in a commercial strip that includes restaurants, a gas station and a grocery store.

Director Taylor introduced the application and told commissioners the request triggers a special-use permit under the Bartlett Zoning Ordinance (Article 5, Chart 1). The staff report described surrounding uses and recommended a favorable recommendation to the board of mayor and aldermen with the conditions listed in the staff report.

Applicant Joseph Barton, who said he goes by Alex, told the commission the franchise is part of Winmark and differs from other Winmark brands in that roughly 60% of inventory is new and 40% is purchased from the community. "It's about 60% new and 40% bought from the community," he said, adding the store will work with local sports leagues and follow franchise rules on safety and condition checks for used equipment.

Barton described the franchise's market-research support for site selection and explained the store's cleaning and condition-review process, noting items that fail safety standards (for example, expired football helmets) would not be resold.

No members of the public spoke against the application during the public-hearing period. After no questions from commissioners, an unidentified commissioner moved to approve the recommendation and a second was received. Roll call showed unanimous support and the chair announced the item was approved.

Next steps: the commission's favorable recommendation will go to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for final action, per the staff report.