Development plans for Chick-fil-A and a brand new fire station are on the agenda of the next Kokomo Plan Commission meeting.
Chick-fil-A returns in front of the board after its request for plat approval was narrowly denied 5-4 in January, temporarily scuttling plans for the company’s first-ever Kokomo location near the intersection of Indiana 931 and Markland Avenue in the parking lot in front of Hobby Lobby and Summit Salon Academy.
However, the request for plat and development plan approval was placed back on the board’s 5 p.m. March 11 meeting agenda after being advised by city attorney T.J. Rethlake that it would likely face a judicial review challenge.
At the crux of the issue is the fact the Plan Commission voted down the restaurant and discussed traffic and safety concerns from some during the company’s plat approval request and not during its request for development plan approval where such issues and concerns can be expressed.
Chick-fil-A’s proposal is identical to its plans submitted in January, including opening up Imperial Drive to allow customers another way out of the strip mall building. The opening up of Imperial Drive was a request from the city of Kokomo and has drawn opposition from some residents of the nearby Cedar Crest neighborhood.
New station 6
Plans to demolish one of the city’s oldest fire stations and replace it with a larger, two-story fire station will also be in front of the Plan Commission on Tuesday.
Station 6, located at 1717 E. Boulevard, is being demolished and completely rebuilt. If the development plan is approved, construction is expected to begin in the spring and take approximately a year and a half.
The city is paying approximately $9 million in tax increment financing money for the new station, which will include three taller bay doors, 10 bedrooms in the second floor to allow for future manpower growth, a new kitchen, three offices, a state-of-the-art fitness room and an in-house and community training room that can be used for CPR classes and more.
Station 6 has received a facelift in recent years, including in 2013 when the city updated the facade and restrooms and added a new HVAC system.
But the station is old and outdated inside, having been built in 1963, Kokomo Fire Department Chief Paul Edwards said.
The firefighters and fire trucks stationed at station 6 will be staying in temporary housing, most likely nearby, though housing plans have not yet been finalized, Edwards said.
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