City proposes stricter standards for storage facilities, gas stations

Tyler Juranovich, Kokomo Tribune, Ind.
·5 min read

Mar. 16—The city of Kokomo is proposing stricter standards for future self-storage facilities and gas stations that it believes will lead to better-looking properties.

The Kokomo City Council will soon consider a wide array of amendments to the city's zoning ordinance pertaining to the appropriate location and building standards of future self-storage facilities and gas stations built within city limits.

The proposed amendments — given a unanimous favorable recommendation by the Kokomo Plan Commission on Tuesday — cover a wide variety of changes, including which zoning districts gas stations and self-storage facilities can be built in, whether they need a special exception permit or not, how close a new gas station can be built relative to another gas station and several design standards for both businesses.

Here are some of the major proposed changes:

Self-storage facilities:

Removing "mini warehouse storage facility" and replacing it with "self-storage facility." The definition for self-storage facility is as follows: "a building or group of buildings consisting of outside storage or individual, self-contained units leased to individuals, organizations, or businesses for self-serve storage or personal property. Facility may include related accessory uses including, without limitation, any one or combination of the following: administrative offices; ancillary retails sales (e.g., moving or packing supplies); mail or delivery boxes and any other facilities approved by the Director that compliment and are i

* ntended as ancillary to serve such a facility.

A "self-storage facility" would only be permissible in a light in

* dustrial, moderate intensity industrial and heavy intensity zoning districts. If sought in a light industrial zone, the petitioner would need to receive approval for a special exception permit from the Kokomo Board of Zoning Appeals.

* Minimum lot size of two acres; minimum building height of one story and minimum building size of 4,500 square feet.

* Overhead doors to individual storage units shall not be visible from a right-of-way or adjoining residential zoning district.

* Exterior facades, in order to avoid the appearance of long, unbroken facades, that face a right-of-way or adjoining residential district will have to include a "vertical change in material," texture, or color ever 40 feet with the width of the change being at least six feet."

* Two-story buildings shall include windows or faux windows on the second story of all facades visible from a right-of-way or adjoining residential zoning district.

* Existing buildings being renovated into a self-storage facility must comply with the proposed new architectural standards. Notably, if the existing building does not meet the building materials requirements, then the city will allow brick veneer to be used to meet the building mater

ial facad

* e requirement.

Gas stations:

Gas stations will be defined as: "The retail dispensing or sale of vehicle fuels, including but not limited to gasoline, gas/oil mixture, diesel fuel, compressed natural gas, and hydrogen, through fixed approved dispensing equipment by customers or employees. Accessory uses may include uses such as the sale of convenience items, food, lubricants batters, car washes, and similar accessory uses. This definition shall not include providing any automotive services or repairs such as oil changes, tire-rotation, and lubrication services."

* Will be allowed only in C2 (medium to large scale general commercial) zoning district and will require a special exception permit granted by the Kokomo BZA.

* Gas stations will be prohibited in the following locations: Within 5,500 feet (slightly more than a mile) from an existing gas station and within 500 feet of a residential zoned or residentially used lot. Both measured as the shortest distance between the two properties.

* Sever

al primary building standards, including a minimum of 50% of building facades, exclusive of windows, doors and loading berths, shall consist of masonry materials; a minimum of three building materials, excluding windows, doors and roofing materials, shall be used and more.

* Several gas station canopy standards, including requiring that the canopy support structures "shall be wrapped in Masonry Materials to complement the Primary Building"; the maximum height of the canopy clearance shall be 16 feet, and the maximum top of the canopy shall be 22 feet; "fuel pumps and canopies shall be setback a minimum of 30 feet farther from the right-of-way line than the established front yard of the primary building to which fuel pumps or canopies are appurtenant."

* City Attorney TJ Rethlake said Tuesday he believes the new standards, if approved by the City Council, would lead to "high quality" looking self-storage facilities and gas stations in the future.

* The proposed amendm

* ents were drafted with help from Pam Howard, owner of Zoned IN Planning LLC and assistant director of development for the city of Westfield.

* The proposed am

* endments come as the city nears the end of its six month moratorium the City Council approved in October for new stations and self-storage facility developments.

* The moratorium was put in place so the city and the Kokomo-Howard County Plan Commission could draft new definitions and standards for the two business types after the city saw several new storage facilities and gas stations being built the last few years and wanted more control over where they were placed in the city and what they look like.

* Greg Sheline, the Kokomo-Howard County Plan Commission executive director, in October described the city's current zoning regulations for the two businesses as "out of date." For example, the zoning ordinance did not have its own definition of "gas stations." Instead, it lumped gas stations in the definition of "automobile service station."

* The plan, Rethlake said, is for the City Council to hold a public hearing and vote on the proposed amendments by May 1, the end date for the morator

* ium.

Tyler Juranovich can be reached at 765-454-8577, by email at tyler.juranovich@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @tylerjuranovich.