The county Planning Commission has expressed reservations about a proposal from the City of Warren regarding the wholesale manufacturing and storage of ammunition.

At issue is a request from Warren City Council to permit such use.

The city’s Planning Commission approved language to make such use a special exception along with several specific regulations.

Planning regulations require the city to seek the county’s review when zoning amendment proposals are on the table.

While the intent when the issue has been discussed in city meetings was commercial use, county officials raised concern about the draft ordinance’s applicability to personal use based on the draft provided to the county.

“I think there’s some ambiguous language here,” county Planning Commission member Jeff Zariczny said. “I don’t think it’s very clear. It seems very ambiguous and far-reaching.”

The county planners felt that the ordinance as drafted could apply to individuals who load and store their own ammunition.

“If it’s going to apply to a private person,” Zoning Officer Michael Lyon said, it is “something you can’t enforce because you’re not going to know.”

“(The) biggest bomb in the county is well within 250 feet of residential neighborhoods,” Zariczny added. “The refinery.”

“I think it is kind of unclear for the average person that loads their own ammunition,” County Planner Dan Glotz explained. “They should be exempt from that.”

Zariczny acknowledged that the county planners were only seeing the draft ordinance, not what is in place already.

The commission ultimately approved a motion outlining their concern about that personal impact. That feedback will be provided to the city.