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Two women got their petitions for use variances approved by the Warsaw Plan Commission Monday so they can start their own businesses.
Presley Smith sought permission to allow a beauty shop at 820 S. Union St., which is in an Residential-1 zoning district, according to Warsaw Assistant City Planner Leah Parker. “This will be an esthetician business wherein she will provide skincare services and provide products to her clientele. She will only schedule one client at a time and parking is available in her driveway,” Parker said.
It was the opinion of the Warsaw Planning Department the board could grant the use variance. There were no remonstrators to Smith’s petition.
Smith said she’s been an esthetician since 2021 and works in Westfield. She’s been doing facials for five years and said she would like to open up a business out of her fully-functional basement.
The commission approved the petition 4-0.
Darien Rodriguez then sought a special exception to allow a veterinary clinic at 219 S. Zimmer Road in an Industrial-2 zoning district.
Parker said they received a letter with concerns about the petition, but after the man talked with Parker and City Planner Justin Taylor Monday morning, he withdrew his concerns because they all were addressed.
The property in question is 29,000 square feet. Parker said Rodriguez doesn’t plan to have any outdoor pens or runs and will not be keeping any pets overnight.
“The Planning Department would like to note that the building on the property is pre-existing and adheres to the I-2 setback requirement of 25 feet but does not meet the conditions laid out for the special exceptions for an animal hospital, but we don’t see an issue with this property,” Parker said.
Rodriguez does have long-term plans to install a parking lot of either asphalt or concrete, which will help control traffic and provide an access point, she stated.
The Planning Department does not foresee any issues with the intended use for the variance request, Parker said.
Rodriguez told the commission she was a 2019 Purdue University graduate and has been working in emergency and critical care since then in various places and came back home the last few years.
She said the community is kind of a desert in terms of urgent care needs so the goal was to open up a veterinary urgent care clinic. It’ll be open on the weekends with a little bit of later hours when other places are closed.
“Our plan is going to be open Friday evenings, Saturday, Sunday and Mondays as well,” Rodriguez said.
Commission member Duane Huffer asked when she planned to do the parking lot. Rodriguez said it was near the top of their list but would depend on her contractor and how soon they could get on the property. She said they hoped to be up and running within a six- to eight-month timeframe.
With no remonstrators, Huffer made a motion to approve the petition on the condition that the parking lot be completed by city standards by the time she was open for business, within six to eight months.
The last new petition was from applicant Chris Harty for Murphy’s Oil, who filed for a variance from development standards to reduce a 15-foot rear building setback to 5 feet to accommodate the construction of a new 1,400-square-foot convenience store at 2500 Walton Blvd.
Parker said the proposed convenience store will not obstruct or cause danger to the flow of traffic, and it was the opinion of the Planning Department to allow the reduction of the setback. There were no remonstrators.
Bassan Ziada, for Murphy Oil, indicated the gas pumps would not move, they were just building a convenience store on the property.
The petition was approved.
In other business, the commission voted they were done with a petition from Daran Thitiratanakorn, at her request, for a special exception use variance to allow a residence in a commercial zone at 1804 E. Center St., Warsaw.
At their Jan. 26 meeting, the commission took no action on the petition after they were split 2-2 on a motion to deny the request.
