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Hammond BZA approves Chipotle and Dutch Bros. permits and multiple variances with seat and signage limits
Summary
The Board approved a conditional use and related variances for a proposed Chipotle (including a cap of 20 outdoor seats and landscaping/fencing conditions) and granted variances for Dutch Bros. (limited seating, permanent furnishings overnight and expanded signage up to 4.45× frontage with size limits), all by unanimous roll calls of the three-member panel.
The Hammond City Board of Zoning Appeals granted a series of approvals for CDO Holdings’ proposed Chipotle and Dutch Bros. developments at Indianapolis Boulevard, adopting staff findings and imposing site- and code-related conditions.
For the Chipotle parcel (6525 Indianapolis Boulevard) the BZA approved the conditional use for general outdoor seating and three development variances tied to outdoor seating configuration and access. Greg Lorig (DVG Team, surveyor/civil engineer) and developer Corey Dedamore presented plans for a south parcel with 38 indoor seats and a proposed 20-seat patio. Staff recommended approval contingent on concurrent variances (Z-26-13 A/B/C), final technical reviews (building/site/stormwater), and recordation of the subdivision plat and cross-access easement.
Key conditions the board adopted or amended: the outdoor seating area is limited to a maximum of 20 seats (staff amended the original 60% ratio request to specifically cap seats at 20); the site must provide at least 30 code-compliant off-street parking spaces (inclusive of two ADA spaces) and technical corrections to ADA space dimensions may be required; a front ADA-compliant ramp must be constructed (by a licensed contractor) and staff and petitioner must coordinate on compensatory landscaping where practical. The board approved the three Z-26-13 variances (seat-ratio increase limited to 20 seats; limited enclosure with required fence/landscaping; and allowing outdoor seating access that is not exclusively through the principal building) by roll call with three ayes on each motion.
Separately, the BZA approved two variances for Dutch Bros. at 6515 Indianapolis Boulevard. The board granted a variance allowing limited outdoor seating (eight seats) for the drive-thru carryout coffee use and allowed permanent bolted furnishings to remain outside overnight (under a canopy), subject to the outdoor seating remaining at eight or fewer seats and staying within the canopy. Staff’s condition required the furnishings be of weather-resistant material and well maintained.
The board also granted a signage variance (Z-26-15) to increase the allowable total signage area on a narrow lot from the usual 2.5× frontage to 4.45× frontage (to cover 29 signs, many of them drive-thru/directional/menu boards). Staff recommended — and the board approved — conditions that no sign contain moving parts, that signs meet the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices standards where applicable, and that no single sign exceed 35 square feet. The motion to accept the staff report as amended and to grant the variance passed by roll call.
Every formal motion recorded in the meeting was approved unanimously by the three members present; board members emphasized that some increases (for occupancy or capacity) remain contingent on technical reviews, construction and final inspections. The BZA also acknowledged petitioner withdrawals for two unrelated petitions (Z-26-16 and Z-26-17), which required no further action.
Next steps: petitioners must complete final technical paperwork, construction and inspections as required by the staff conditions; staff will record plats and easements and monitor compliance with conditions before issuing final permits or occupancy increases.
