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Brownsburg council approves broad UDO changes limiting fuel stations, vape and tattoo shops and shaping storage development
Summary
Council adopted sweeping amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance that add spacing and location restrictions for fueling centers, vape/smoke shops and tattoo parlors, tighten rules for vehicle‑oriented uses and limit self‑storage on key corridors; staff said rules aim to protect newer town investments.
The Town of Brownsburg on March 26 approved major changes to Chapter 3 of its Unified Development Ordinance that impose new spacing and location limits for several commercial uses.
Elizabeth Williams, presenting the amendments, said the changes are intended to prevent clustering near newly invested corridors and to protect the town’s long‑term infrastructure investments. She described the proposal as adding special‑exception requirements for fueling centers and convenience stores, smoke and vape shops, and tattoo parlors in certain commercial districts and imposing spacing rules that include a 0.25‑mile (1,320‑foot) separation and a 300‑foot buffer from residential districts in some cases. “With the fueling centers, they target intersections,” Williams said, “so that, you know, when you put in a new signal and then you have 1, 2, 3, even 4 corners taken up by the fueling centers and all of the traffic movements, it kind of takes away the investment that the town’s put in to the improvement.”
Supporters on council and staff framed the changes as a tool to attract different retail investment and prevent new high‑traffic uses from dominating gateway corridors. Opponents — including several residents who addressed council — argued the package lumps many distinct businesses together and could restrict established local entrepreneurs. John Raybo, a nearby resident, told the council the proposed restrictions would force some businesses to seek Board of Zoning Appeals special exceptions if they want to expand: “They’re grandfathered legal nonconforming. Well that could be true, but this puts them in a category of special exceptions.”
The ordinance also clarifies that fueling centers may be allowed as accessory uses to very large primary developments (examples cited: Meijer, Kroger, Walmart) but would be prohibited on specified gateway frontages unless accessory to a qualifying primary use. Self‑storage would be limited in certain corridors and restricted to smaller lot footprints in some commercial districts, encouraging vertical, enclosed facilities in core commercial areas.
After extended discussion over the buffer distances and grandfathering, council moved to approve ordinance 2026‑01 on first, second and third readings and final adoption in the same meeting by voice vote.
Next steps: the ordinance takes effect per the town’s adoption rules; developers with pending proposals should consult planning staff about how the changes affect pending or future applications.
