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BZA denies Dollar General parking variance after residents warn of safety, traffic and property-value risks
Summary
The Evansville Board of Zoning Appeals on May 15 denied a request to reduce required parking for a proposed 10,000-square-foot Dollar General at 1277 North Saint Joseph Avenue, after residents and board members raised safety, traffic and neighborhood-impact concerns. The motion failed 2–4.
The Evansville City Board of Zoning Appeals denied a variance request for a proposed Dollar General at 1277 North Saint Joseph Avenue on May 15, voting 2 yes, 4 no, after residents and board members raised concerns about traffic, pedestrian safety and neighborhood impacts.
The vote followed testimony from David Hall, who spoke on behalf of the applicant and described the company’s standard parking layout. He said the applicant was proposing 35 parking spaces rather than the 59 spaces required under the city’s zoning calculation for a 10,000‑square‑foot store. “Dollar General has a standard layout for all their buildings and the parking areas. That’s always been 35,” Hall said.
The board heard more than an hour of public comment and questions from commissioners. Several nearby residents told the board they feared increased traffic turning onto Saint Joe Avenue and Mount Auburn Road and said sidewalks are lacking on routes pedestrians would use to reach the store. Steven Sheller of 1213 Mount Auburn Road warned of safety risks and said the site sits near a 40 mph zone on Saint Joe Avenue. “My concern then with safety is people trying to leave that area,” Sheller said. Leanne Noe, who lives on Mount Auburn, described the neighborhood as historic and residential, and said additional traffic would harm the area’s character and property values.
Board members focused on the BZA’s variance criteria, in particular whether approving fewer parking spaces would be “injurious to the public health, safety, morals and general welfare of the community.” Several commissioners stated they felt the evidence supported a finding of potential harm. After discussion, a motion to approve variance VARDash2025Dash021 failed on roll call: Ms. Payne — no; Mr. Schettler — no; Mr. Zayner — yes; Ms. Cabell — no; Ms. Kasia — no; Mr. Petke — yes. The board chair announced the motion was denied, 2 yes and 4 no.
The applicant’s representative said the reduced parking footprint reflected Dollar General’s corporate standard and lot-size constraints. Opponents countered that the site is surrounded by single‑family zoning, includes nearby residential buildings and a church, and lies close to a busy commercial node including a McDonald’s, making turning movements onto Saint Joe Avenue potentially hazardous at peak times. Several residents also questioned the need for another Dollar General within a short driving distance of multiple existing locations.
The board clerk noted that an applicant denied by the BZA may seek judicial review in court. No formal schedule for appeals was announced at the meeting.
Docket and immediate outcome: VARDash2025Dash021, petition of TC Commercial Real Estate LLC to reduce required parking from 59 to 35 spaces for a proposed 10,000‑square‑foot Dollar General — motion to approve failed, outcome: denied (2 yes, 4 no).
