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Warsaw plan commission members wrestled with the Kroger gas kiosk issue Monday night, finally pinning the Center Street proposal in just over an hour.
Kroger representatives approached the board in November with plans for the kiosk - four pumping stations and a small building for an employee - south of the former Sav-A-Lot building and west of the Kroger/Owen's grocery store.
Over the next three months, two designs were presented, the last given a review by the traffic commission.
Eastbound traffic making a left hand turn into the area was not desirable so near the Cleveland Street intersection.
In January the commissioners expressed their ongoing concern regarding traffic flow and Mayor Ernie Wiggins suggested a traffic study.
Last night the report by GAI Consultants was presented showing key traffic volumes on Center Street to be 337 vehicles westbound and 283 vehicles eastbound during the a.m. peak hour and 567 vehicles westbound and 692 vehicles eastbound during the peak p.m. hour.
The engineers recommended no left-hand turns into the kiosk off Center Street with provisions for one entrance and one exit.
An unasked for drawing of the site was included with the report showing two 45-degree cuts for entering and exiting, centered between Cleveland and Harrison streets.
The trouble was no fuel delivery truck could enter the area the way GAI suggested.
So the commissioners returned to the Kroger design showing a 40-foot wide straight cut near Cleveland and another closer to Harrison.
The proposal was approved, 4 to 2, with Jeff Grose and Alan Clingan voting nay.
The commissioners unanimously denied an amendment to the Wade planned unit development. The 1.975 acre property along Lynn Lane/Wade Drive was originally discussed and approved in September and October 1999.
A planned unit development allows for greater leeway than other zoned areas - no setback requirements, no minimum lot sizes, etc.
However, they are still subject to review and once a plan is submitted, the commissioners prefer to have the developer stick to the blueprint.
Located off Mariner's Drive with Kuder Estates apartments to the east and the NE Indiana Carpenter's Union to the west, property owner John Wade wanted to add another duplex to the site which originally called for seven buildings.
Six months ago Wade built and completed one building making it two story and reducing its length by about 20 feet and pouring the foundation for another.
Wade was advised he could appeal the denial to the city council.
In other business the board:
• Approved construction of a 16,700-square-foot retail outlet as requested by Petro Family LLC in their commercial planned unit development.
The PUD was established in November and a secondary review is required for each development.
This section of the area will accommodate four to five retail tenants.
• Approved a text amendment to the zoning ordinance defining "manufactured," "modular" and "mobile" homes and the districts where they are allowed to be placed.
• Approved a plant for a new section of burial plots in Oakwood Cemetery.
Plan commission members are Joe Thallemer, Jeff Grose, Dewey Lawshe, Richard Keeven and Alan Clingan. Jim Gast was absent.
