Storage units, mini-warehouses planned for downtown area

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

Jul. 6—A collection of storage units and mini warehouses are being proposed for the downtown area on what are currently unused plots of land.

The proposal received approval by the Kokomo Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday for a number of variances necessary to move forward with the development.

The proposed development includes 37 total storage units and three mini warehouses on 0.72 acres of land located just east of North Market Street between East Monroe and East Jefferson streets.

The storage units will be 10 feet by 20 feet in size, while the mini warehouses vary in size with one at 1,763 square feet, one at 1,505 square feet and the largest at 2,688 square feet, according to a rendering presented to the BZA Tuesday. An existing building on the property will be demolished.

Ken Lucas, who is developing the property, said the goal is to market the storage units to those who live in the various downtown apartments that have been built within the last several years, while the warehouses will be aimed toward a small construction business or contractors.

"We're really trying to address the shortage of storage for a lot of the apartments that are downtown," Lucas said. "We're really just trying to complement the housing options that are downtown. Obviously, there's a lot of residential downtown now. It is an area surrounded by warehouses, so really what we're doing isn't going to affect much of what's already going on there. ... Moving forward I really think it cleans up the area."

The proposed project still needs development plan approval from the Kokomo Plan Commission before construction can begin; Lucas told the Tribune after the BZA meeting he hopes to begin construction in August or September.

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