Gun range proposed for former Fetla’s building

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Updated: January 14, 2012 12:52PM

VALPARAISO — A proposal to turn the former Fetla’s Trading Post at 1457 S. Indiana 2 into an indoor shooting range is already garnering opposition from those who live nearby.

The matter is scheduled to go before the Porter County Board of Zoning Appeals at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the county administrative center, 155 Indiana Ave.

Opportunity Enterprises bought the structure after Fetla’s closed three years ago. The plans, submitted by The Harvey Group LLC via Valparaiso lawyer William Ferngren, call for an indoor shooting range of three sections, each containing five bays; a two-section indoor archery range; an outdoor area for BB gun practice catering specifically to the Boy Scouts; and classrooms for training.

The facility, according to documents filed with the Porter County Plan Commission, also would be used for law enforcement, military and National Rifle Association functions, and would be open to the public, with membership options available. The shooting range also would include a retail area.

The Harvey Group is asking for a use variance for the building, which is zoned for high-intensity commercial use. The variance is needed because the proposed use of the property is not listed as a permitted use in any zoning district in the county.

A resident of Union Heights subdivision, whose identity is not included in documents with the Plan Commission, said he is not anti-gun or against gun ranges, but has issues with whether the property “is the right place to build and operate a gun shop and firing range, and whether that property legally qualifies for a use variance of any kind.”

The resident’s concerns, filed Jan. 11, note that any variance granted by the BZA should prohibit outdoor shooting of any kind for reasons of public safety, and that requirements for an indoor range should require building reinforcement so a misfired bullet cannot exit the facility.

The resident also states that the building should be soundproofed to prevent the noise from being heard anywhere else, to preserve property values, and notes that The Harvey Group has not shown why the property qualifies for a use variance.