First Posted: 3/2/2015
LIMA — Lima’s zoning regulations are one step closer to getting a facelift.
The city’s public works committee met Monday at the Lima Municipal Center to discuss making changes to the current business zoning ordinances regarding recreational establishments. This revision was necessitated by the efforts of city residents Ed and Sandy Monfort to bring a paintball and laser tag facility to 535 W. Spring St.
Current Business-I and Business-II zoning regulations allow for such facilities as pool halls and bowling alleys, but there has not been any allowances for facilities that use newer technology, such as laser tag and paintball.
“[The Monforts] brought it up that the current zoning was outdated, so to amend that, we had to send it to committee, and public works handles zoning,” committee chairwoman Teresa Adams said. “So it was really a formality that we had to go through this step.”
During the meeting, the committee also recommended that Airsoft guns would be specifically included in the wording of the zoning ordinance, since those would be used in the Monforts’ facility, as well.
“We’re in this for the long haul, so we are going by all the expectations of the city,” Sandy Monfort said during the meeting.
A public hearing will be held regarding the Monforts’ proposed facility at 7 p.m. April 6 at the Lima Municipal Center. Regarding the zoning, the public works committee will receive a draft of the new ordinance that Adams hopes to be able to take to city council within the next few weeks.
“It’s a step we had to do to update the zoning in general, hopefully encouraging other recreational facilities to come to the city for the youth,” Adams said.
