Fort Wayne Plan Commission Approves Development
(Image courtesy: WPTA21)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Fort Wayne Plan Commission has cleared the way for the development of a contentious project. Our partners at WPTA-TV report the commission, on a 5-0 vote, approved a business development plan by local restaurateur Martin Quintana for Quintana Plaza. The panel also voted in favor of rezoning the property from residential to limited commercial.
There was one abstention on both votes.
According to the news station, Quintana received a permit in 2018 to add a garage to an existing home on the property. But after construction began in early 2019, neighbors got suspicious about the size of the building and that it had no windows. After a complaint was filed with the Allen County building department, a building inspector issued a stop-work order.
WPTA-TV reports at a public hearing held last week the homeowners board of a nearby condominium project agreed not to fight the project if Quintana agreed not to open a brewery, bar, entertainment facility or a hotel. The board also said if the owner wants to put in a restaurant, it must be small and with no drive-through.
A nearby neighborhood association said it’s not happy the building project started as residential but was allowed to switch to a commercial property.
Allen County Building Commissioner John Caywood says he’s still not sold on what’s being done at that site. “Right now, there’s not even a contractor assigned to this building project. So, there’s a lot of things up in the air right now that I need to know about,” Caywood said.
The TV station reached out to Quintana’s attorney for comment but was unsuccessful.
The Fort Wayne city council must still give final approval to the re-zoning request.