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Lawrence BZA denies El Camino Tire request to cut rear setback to 6.7 feet
Summary
The Lawrence Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously denied a petition to reduce the required 20-foot rear setback to 6.7 feet for an expansion of El Camino Tire at 8630 Pendleton Pike, after neighbors and city staff raised concerns about parking, traffic, lighting and outdoor storage.
The Lawrence Board of Zoning Appeals on Dec. 16 unanimously denied a variance request that would have allowed El Camino Tire to build within 6.7 feet of its rear property line at 8630 Pendleton Pike, instead of the 20 feet required by the City of Indianapolis consolidated zoning code. The petitioner had asked to add bays to reduce on-lot tire repairs and congestion.
Neighbors and city staff told the board the proposed expansion would overdevelop the lot, reduce parking and create operational and safety problems. "We see the number of cars currently visiting El Camino," Councilman Rick Wells told the board, reading a neighborhood letter and a petition with 17 signatures from Charney Park residents who asked the board to vote no. Resident Jeremy Ross, who said he lives in the house directly behind the tire shop, described bright security lighting and late-night noise that he said already make his backyard unusable: "I can't even sit out there at night without these blinding lights shining in my backyard."
Cindy Thrasher, representing the property owner, said the business has outgrown the site and needs room to add service bays to avoid working on cars in the parking lot. "We are requesting a variance of development standards to allow for a reduced setback," she told the board, but acknowledged she had not previously met directly with many of the remonstrators and that the owner speaks limited English.
City public-works staff told the board the parcel is zoned C5 and the use is permitted, but staff opposed the variance. Renee, identified in the meeting as the city public-works director, said the project would "overdevelop the property," leave insufficient space for required landscaping and dumpsters, and that onsite storage containers exceed the city’s 90-day allowance and must be removed.
Board members said they were not confident that the submitted plans demonstrated how required parking, dumpster enclosures and landscaping would be provided if the expansion were built to the proposed setback. The chair announced that the petition was denied unanimously.
The decision leaves the existing setback requirements in place; the petitioner was told to work with the city on alternatives or other locations if the business needs to expand.
