Speedway BZA approves variance to allow commercial parking lot at 4914 W. 15th St. with landscaping and public-parking conditions

The Town of Speedway Board of Zoning Appeals voted to approve petition 2025-DVS-004 on June 4, granting a variance to permit off-street commercial parking at 4914 West 15th Street, subject to commitments on landscaping, signage and public-access parking.

The variance was approved with conditions after roughly an hour of testimony from the petitioner, business and redevelopment supporters, and neighborhood residents and preservation advocates. The board required the petitioner to submit a site plan for administrative approval showing a landscape buffer that meets or exceeds the standards in section 7-44-506(b) of the town code, include evergreen screening at least 6 feet tall, and reserve at least one-third of the proposed spaces for public use. The petitioner said the lot is planned for about 15 spaces and would reserve five for public use.

Why it matters: the property sits at the edge of Speedway's National Historic District and has been the subject of competing priorities: business owners and the Speedway Redevelopment Commission argued additional parking is necessary to support Main Street redevelopment, while residents and preservation advocates warned that demolition of a contributing historic…