Board grants variances for convenience store at 1625 Shelby Street in Fountain Square

The Indianapolis Board of Zoning Appeals on Monday granted variances allowing the construction of a convenience store at 1625 Shelby Street after concluding the site’s unusual shape and existing fuel infrastructure created practical difficulties for complying with transit‑oriented development (TOD) standards.

The decision affects a quarter‑acre, triangular parcel at the Shelby Street and Pleasant Run intersection in Center Township (Council District 18) where an older gas station and in‑ground tanks remain. Board members Brian Hannon, Percy Bland, Joanna Taft and Roderick (Rob) Bohannon voted yes to grant the variances.

The petitioner, Jugad LLC, represented by zoning attorney David Rutherford, told the board the site’s constraints — narrow frontage, two street frontages, existing pump islands and tanks that predate current zoning and would cost “hundreds of thousands” to remove — make redevelopment as a convenience store the only viable option. Rutherford said the owner has invested in on‑site improvements and…