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BZA approves amusement‑parlor use in Enterprise Building with fire/building review condition
Summary
The board granted a use variance allowing an amusement‑parlor (family entertainment) at 421 S. 2nd Street in the Enterprise Building, conditioned on an on‑site meeting with fire and building departments within 90 days.
The Elkhart City Board of Zoning Appeals approved a use variance to allow an amusement‑parlor — described by petitioners as a family entertainment center with simulators, pool tables and small games — in a vacant retail space at 421 South 2nd Street in the Enterprise Building.
Petitioners Jackie Bloss and Tim Bradley said the venue will provide family‑oriented activities, ranging from golf and racing simulators to a putt‑putt course and VR games, and said they expect to close by 11 p.m. on most nights. "We welcome kind of all ages," Bloss said, describing the business as a family entertainment center.
Staff recommended approval and asked that the petitioner meet with fire and building departments within 90 days to address fire capacity, egress and construction requirements; the board included that exact condition in its approval. Staff also clarified during the hearing that the use variance, if approved, would run with the property (not the business owner), meaning future owners could continue the permitted use unless zoning changes or other actions occur.
Supporters included Sam Voss, the project manager for the Enterprise Building, who said the amusement parlor would complement existing tenants and bring family activity downtown. Staff later corrected a paperwork filing: a small number of public‑notice responses had been mis‑filed in another case; staff clarified the record during the meeting.
