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Board approves use variance to allow overflow vehicle storage at 1010 N. Main
Summary
The Elkhart Board of Zoning Appeals approved a use variance for JFS Real Estate Holdings LLC to allow a motor-vehicle storage yard at 1010 North Main Street, subject to four staff conditions limiting outside storage and requiring maintenance and vehicle condition standards.
The Elkhart City Board of Zoning Appeals on Jan. 8 approved a use variance allowing JFS Real Estate Holdings LLC to use the paved, fenced lot at 1010 North Main Street as a motor vehicle storage yard.
The decision follows a staff report that said zoning staff observed a new unpermitted use at the site and issued a citation on July 15, 2025. Unidentified staff told the board the petitioner filed a use-variance application on Oct. 3, 2025. “Motor vehicle storage yard is defined as any place where two or more vehicles, regardless of operating condition, are kept outdoors for the purpose of storage,” staff stated, and recommended approval with conditions to protect the streetscape near the Wellfield Botanic Gardens.
Petitioner Michael “Andy” Spite told the board he has used the lot for overflow dealer vehicles for several years, that the lot is paved and fenced and that vehicles stored there have been maintained: “We’ve been doing that,” he said in response to board questions about vehicle condition and outside storage.
The board adopted staff’s findings and the following four conditions: vehicles must be in running condition (no flat tires, broken windshields, or vehicles requiring major body repair); vehicles must be parked on an approved surface; no vehicle parts may be stored outside; and the parking lot must be kept in good repair, striped, and weed-free. The motion carried on roll call with the members present voting to approve while the chair was recused for that item.
Next steps: the variance is approved with conditions; any appeal must be filed in the appropriate court within 30 days of the board’s decision.
