Developer speculates coffee shop or oil change will follow on Markland
This article is brought to you by 2nd Shift Sewer & Plumbing®. 2nd Shift Sewer & Plumbing® is the leading provider of plumbing services in Howard County and the surrounding areas. With more than 30 years of experience, their knowledgeable and licensed technicians have the expertise to fix any plumbing or sewer problem you may have.
Markland Avenue continues to attract fast food to Kokomo as another restaurant chain has chosen the city for its latest location. Smalls Sliders is slated to find a home in front of Sam’s Club. The Kokomo Plan Commission’s plat committee met earlier this month to review the plans for the new restaurant.
The building that once housed an optician’s office at 1919 E. Markland Ave., will be demolished to make way for Smalls Sliders, a restaurant chain known for its “slider” sized burgers and hand-spun milkshakes. The chain has more than 50 stores across 12 states, mostly located in the southern U.S.
Its menu appears to thread the gap between White Castle, with its small burgers, and Chick-fil-A, with its waffle fries.
The project received primary and final plat approval, as well as site plan approval, at the plat hearing. City of Kokomo Engineering Department supervisor Jon Pyke had a few issues with the lack of information included on the site plan.
“List the number of employees and calculate the required parking per the ordinance with respect to seating capacity, which specifically is none but visitors and employees, because that would dictate a certain number of parking spaces required,” said Pyke. “I think you’ve got enough, probably.”
Indeed, the developer explained that the Smalls Sliders location will not have indoor dining and is primarily a drive-thru business, not unlike the aforementioned restaurants. The restaurant is expected to have just seven employees, and there are more than 20 parking spaces on the lot.
The developer’s representative also explained that the original design for Smalls Sliders includes a large orange “can,” or cargo box from a semi, atop the building, which serves as the business sign. He said that the development planned for Muncie, Ind., excluded the cargo box, and they hope to use something other than the can at the Kokomo location.
Construction of the building that will supplant the structure currently on the lot is expected to begin in August and be completed by mid-November. Pyke questioned that timeline, but the representative explained that the restaurant will be assembled from seven modular sections that bolt together quickly and don’t require a lengthy construction process.
As for the lot immediately to the east of the location, there are other developments in the works.
“This might be future parking,” said the developer’s representative. “It might be a future park. He’s wanting a specific user to go next to him. He’s wanting a coffee shop or something for the mornings, and if he’s not going to get that, then he’s probably not going to develop (the lot).
“I can tell you, Dutch Bros. is 80-percent likely to be there. If it’s not a coffee shop, it will be an oil change, but there’s too many oil changes around.”