Missing your cherries jubilee double scoop or maybe that waffle cone filled with pralines ‘n’ cream?

You may be in luck come summer.

Bowling Green’s Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop, in business at 1705 U.S. 31-W By-Pass since the 1970s, saw its future at that address ended Dec. 11 by the fierce tornadoes that swept through the bypass area.

The ice cream shop that once touted its 31 flavors but has now grown its offerings exponentially was nearly among the storm’s victims.

“When the tornado hit, we got the news that the nearby Mexican restaurant was flattened,” said Marty Wilkins, who has owned Bowling Green’s Baskin-Robbins since 2018. “We got as close as we could to it and saw the destruction. It was unbelievable.”

Unbelievable, but not insurmountable.

Wilkins, whose lease at 1705 U.S. 31-W By-Pass was expiring soon, was able to find another home on the heavily traveled bypass and hopes to be serving frozen treats again by mid-summer.

Here’s the scoop:

MB Real Estate Holdings, the limited liability corporation controlled by Wilkins, was approved Thursday by the Warren County Board of Adjustments for a variance that will clear the way for a rebirth of Baskin-Robbins in the Wilkins Business Center at 1542 U.S. 31-W By-Pass.

Wilkins said the business center that his corporation owns sustained only minor damage from the tornado, giving him an opportunity to find a new home for the ice cream shop.

His application for a variance of 70 feet from the required distance of 100 feet between a drive-through speaker and a residential district was approved in a 7-0 vote, but it didn’t come without opposition.

Sherry Rosdahl, who lives on Magnolia Street near the Wilkins Business Center, raised concerns about noise and traffic resulting from the new business.

Wilkins countered that modern drive-through speakers operate at lower decibel levels and can hardly be heard at the 30-foot distance that his business will be from residences.

The drive-through should enhance a business that was doing well at its previous location, Wilkins said.

“Business was incredible (at the previous location),” he said. “Now with a drive-through we can serve more people.”

In other business Thursday, the board of adjustments approved these conditional-use permits to operate short-term rentals, which are defined as properties being rented for 30 days or less that could be absentee-owner investment properties:

• Purple Door Realty LLC at 335 Coombs Drive, zoned for multi-family residential.
• Hardcastle Rental Properties LLC (William Tommy and Marla Hardcastle) at 941 Park St., zoned for multi-family residential.
• Victor and Tarsis Hicks at 209 Upper Stone Ave., zoned for multi-family residential.
• Donald and Patti Lancette at 2793 Dye Ford Road, zoned for agriculture.

The board also approved the CUP application of Robert Byrd to operate an owner-occupied bed-and-breakfast at 1310 New Cut Road. The CUP passed in a 7-0 vote despite objections expressed by nearby resident Joseph Seagle.

Another CUP application for an owner-occupied bed-and-breakfast, this one brought by Sara Pena Blanco and Johnny Dodgens of 782 River Birch Road, was rejected 5-2.

Board of Adjustments Chairman Mike Davenport explained that the property’s location in a single-family neighborhood was a key consideration in denying the application.

“I would hate to see a precedent started of putting businesses in single-family neighborhoods,” Davenport said.