Speedway project moves forward

Neighbors, Springfield officials meet with company to discussion building plan.

The Speedway gas station and convenience store at 1147 N. Limestone St. will likely be demolished and rebuilt after being rezoned earlier this week.

City commissioners voted unanimously to rezone several properties around the store and vacate the alley behind it after an initial discussion was tabled last month because of concerns from residents.

With the city commission’s approval, the applicant must seek a conditional use permit from the Board of Zoning Appeals before construction can begin. They’ll likely appear before BZA in the coming months. The BZA will help decide fencing height, fencing materials and landscaping among others for the proposed renovation.

Earlier this month, Speedway representatives met with neighbors and Bryan Heck, the city’s planning and zoning administrator, on how to best find an acceptable solution for all concerned parties.

“Often the way an agreement works is nobody gets exactly what they want, but everybody gets a little bit of what they want,” said Mayor Warren Copeland. “I think it happened in this case … I think it’s probably as good a solution as we could find.”

Speedway plans to demolish its current location at 1147 N. Limestone St. to build a 3,900-square-foot convenience store in a much larger area, according to public documents.

The company is under contract to purchase buildings at 135 E. McCreight Ave. and the former Hair Design Plus, 1131 N. Limestone St., which would both be razed to accommodate Speedway’s expansion.

The alley directly behind the store will be vacated, but the alley from Garfield Ave. will be converted into a dead-end alley. The alley which leads to McCreight will now be part of Speedway’s property.

Speedway’s property will also be fenced off to keep vagrants from using alleys behind the store.

Last month, neighbors expressed their concerns about losing the alley because of parking issues in the winter, as well as the possibility of more noise, traffic and vagrants.

The current Speedway is about 2,200 square feet. The expansion would allow for 27 parking spots, up from 15, but no more pumps will be added. The pumps will also be moved as part of the renovations, including a different pump setup to provide more safety.

Speedway will also eliminate the curb cut on Limestone closest to the intersection to allow for easier access in and out of the store and to provide increased safety.

Speedway, based in Enon, acquired almost 100 new gas stations in 2012 in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. The company is Clark County’s sixth-largest employer.

The company owns more than 1,460 stores in seven Midwestern states and ranks as the fourth largest chain of gas stations in the country.

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