The City of Washington Board of Adjustment on July 28, 2025, voted to grant a variance to allow a 21-foot fire lane for the proposed subdivision of property at 777 Washington Square, the parcel commonly known as the Taco Bell.

The variance was requested so the restaurant parcel could be subdivided from a larger shopping-center lot. Planning staff told the board the city zoning code (section 4.35.01[a]) requires fire lanes to be at least 26 feet wide but that the existing access easement through the shopping center measures a little over 21 feet for roughly 150 feet of the lane. Planning staff said the fire department reviewed the site and "do[es] not have any issues with granting the variance down to 21 feet." The board approved the variance, subject to compliance with city ordinances and construction standards.

Steve Kinzel, representing Missouri Fiesta Properties, testified for the applicant and said the property has been owned by John Maroney since the center opened. "We're not gonna be able to get the shopping center to move those parking curbs for that drive lane, but it's more than sufficient for the fire truck," Kinzel said, adding that the owner hopes to buy the parcel he has long leased. He also told the board that, operationally, the center has managed vehicle access for decades and that future upgrades may be needed if the franchise requires them.

The resolution read into the record cites the city code requirement that fire lanes be at least 26 feet wide, have an approved driving surface capable of supporting an imposed load of fire apparatus weighing at least 80,000 pounds, have a maximum grade of 10 percent, and require approved turnarounds for dead-end access in excess of 150 feet. The board's approval allows the use of a 21-foot-wide fire lane "provided that all of the ordinances and regulations of the City of Washington are met." Planning staff also noted a possible future code change could shift the width requirement into the fire code to give the fire chief more administrative discretion; that change was presented as a separate policy discussion and was not acted on at the hearing.

Board members voiced no opposition during the hearing. A motion to approve the variance passed unanimously. Planning staff read the resolution and directed city engineers to proceed with associated flood-plain development review and other steps required by the decision.

Kinzel told the board he expects the matter will return to the planning and zoning commission and the city council if Taco Bell or the franchise requires further building upgrades. "I suspect [the fire chief] probably will [endorse it] if it passes up at the city council," Kinzel said, attributing that expectation to prior discussions with the fire department.

The board’s action affects only the specified, existing access easement and applies to the subdivision as presented; it does not itself change underlying zoning or building standards beyond the granted variance. Any future changes to the lane, including increasing its width or reconfiguring parking curbs, would require separate review and approvals.