Jefferson City Council OKs fun factory at old shoe company site

Sally Ince/ News Tribune
The old International Shoe Company building remains vacant Thursday December 11, 2018 on E. Capitol Avenue.
Sally Ince/ News Tribune The old International Shoe Company building remains vacant Thursday December 11, 2018 on E. Capitol Avenue.

Jefferson City is one step closer to getting a fun factory.

The Jefferson City Council unanimously approved a preliminary Planned Unit Development plan Tuesday to renovate the old International Shoe Company building into the "ISC Fun Factory." The 1101 E. Capitol Ave. building would include things such as a restaurant, a haunted house, a banquet hall, mini-bowling, mini-golf, escape rooms, axe-throwing, apartments and offices.

"Our whole idea is to introduce some large amounts of entertainment to the community," applicant Raymond Latocki said Tuesday.

Latocki previously told the News Tribune he plans to submit a final PUD plan to the city for approval in late January.

He also plans to purchase the building, which is around 115 years old, from DeLong Properties by late March.

Renovations will be implemented over three phases, with the first stage involving renovating the first, fourth and fifth floors. They will include a restaurant and bar with a smokehouse, axe-throwing, blacklight mini-golf, apartments and penthouse apartments. The phase would also include adding parking, signage, a stormwater basin, lighting, landscaping and street improvements.

If these processes pan out, Latocki said previously, he hopes Ellen-KimRay Productions LLC can open the first phase of the building to the public this fall.

Beginning in 2020, the second phase would involve renovating the second and third floors, which would include escape rooms, laser tag, leasable office space and an event center or banquet hall. While the PUD plan lists mini-bowling as a feature for the first floor, Latocki told the News Tribune last month he plans to move mini-bowling to the second floor.

The final phase would begin in 2023 or 2024, which would include renovating outside portions of the site. Latocki plans to include a seasonal event venue, a haunted walkway, an outdoor mini-golf course, a seasonal zip-line course and rental facilities.

While the fun factory would be a "great addition" to the city, resident Tiwan Lewis said, the council must consider the effects of mixing an environment for children with a restaurant and bar that serves alcohol.

The council also approved Latocki's request to rezone 8.43 acres of the site from light industrial to PUD.

Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin said the council received several excited public comments and thanked Latocki for being a "visionary" and "seeing how that building could benefit that area."

The Jefferson City Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of the proposal in December after several residents spoke in favor of the request.

About two years ago, the Springfield-based Vecino Group proposed building 75 apartments for low-income families, but the project stalled after the Missouri Housing Development Commission decided not to provide matching federal funds for the Missouri Low-Income Tax Credit.

In other business Tuesday, the council heard a $210,823 consultant contract with Donohue and Associates, Inc. to upgrade the Westview pump station and evaluate basin 10.

The city approved an agreement with Donohue & Associates Inc. in December but the company declined to sign the agreement and requested modifications. Modifications include substituting "contractor" for "consultant" and adding a line that states Donohue & Associates will send a monthly bill to the city and the city will submit payment within 30 days.