Muncie Board of Zoning Appeals approves sign and property variances, hears community-center plan

The Delaware–Muncie Metropolitan Board of Zoning Appeals approved a series of variances at its April monthly meeting, clearing sign and site changes for commercial projects, several accessory-building requests for homeowners and a 5,000-square-foot community center addition for Greater Mount Calvary Church.

In the meeting’s most contested vote, the board granted a variance to allow a 21-foot pole sign for a proposed McDonald’s at the southeast corner of Macedonia Avenue and 29th Street, approving the application 5–2. Dan Olson of Upstream Design Group said the application represented a compromise after earlier proposals and that visibility limitations caused by lot shape, multiple frontage easements and an on-site billboard left only a narrow location for effective signage. “Visibility is paramount,” Olson said; “we’re trying to get visibility through the site” so a quick-service restaurant can rely on impulse traffic.

The board also approved variances for two new restaurants. Ellen Broyles, representing Smalls Sliders and the Flower Bin Inc. at 211 W. McGalliard Road, told the board she was “agnostic to a…