Chick-fil-A and Dutch Bros Coffee got quick approval by the Portage Board of Zoning Appeals on Monday for side-by-side locations.
Chick-fil-A plans to build a 4,800-square-foot restaurant with two drive-through lanes at 6245 U.S. 6, where the former Lynn’s Bedroom and Mattress store stands. The existing building and parking lot would be demolished.
“This is a really important location for us in the greater Northwest Indiana area,” Midwest Director of Development & Construction Jason Hill told the board. “The last thing we want to do is come in and provide something that doesn’t work well for the general public.”
Among the long list of variances sought was for the rear of the building to face U.S. 6. That’s because of the lot’s size and shape. Rotating the building would mean it couldn’t fit on the site. However, the developer plans to design the back of the building to make it look more attractive.
Dutch Bros Coffee would be built next door, where the former Steak ‘n Shake now stands.
Greg Lorig, civil engineer with DVG Team, said the existing building would be razed.
The new building would be tiny, just 980 square feet, because it would be carry-out only.
“This is kind of a sister development project” to Chick-fil-A, he said. Because Chick-fil-A needs a bigger footprint, the plan is to shift the lot line by 20 feet to give Chick-fil-A more space.
At Dutch Bros Coffee, the parking will be primarily for employees, although customers could park and use the walk-up window to order. The traffic flow would be similar to what Steak ‘n Shake had.
A concrete sidewalk would surround the building for customers using the walk-up window and for employees to take orders out to customers. The shop would have two drive-through lanes for ordering that funnel into a single lane afterward.
“We think this would be a great use of the property,” Lorig said.
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The board tabled a request for a special exception to build a BP gas station on the northeast corner of Central Avenue and County Line Road. A Hull Brothers station once stood on that site.
Neighbors complained that the large, 16-pump gas station would increase traffic, noise and light pollution as well as affect privacy for the home directly to the east. A Speedway station is on the south side of the road.
Charlie Ray, of Duneland Group, said there would be a fence along that side of the property, and the station would use directional lighting to keep the lights away from the residence.
Resident Michael Cooper said the Indiana Department of Environmental Management detected chemicals from gas and diesel in the soil on the west side of the property some years back but decided it didn’t need to be remediated to the same standards as a residential property. Cooper was concerned about any future leaks going into the 22-acre pond behind the property.
Ray said stormwater runoff from the gas station would go into a detention pond and that filtering equipment could be added to separate chemicals like that from contaminating the wetland.
The board was concerned about semis and tanker trucks accessing the property and asked that a full traffic study be completed before the developer makes the case for the gas station again.
The board approved a new 2,000-square-foot pole barn at 6115 Old Porter Road despite neighbors complaining at last month’s meeting and hiring an attorney to represent them Monday.
Paul James, of Ogden Dunes, wants to store three cars, perhaps a boat and an RV in the large pole barn. “I just want an indoor place to park my vehicles, is what the point is,” he said.
James owns the three-acre property; his son occupies the home.
The case was tabled last month so a new survey could be done to make sure there was enough clearance for a driveway beside the house. The next-door neighbor is an elementary school.
Attorney Adam Sworden, representing the neighbors on the other side of the home, said they were concerned about stormwater runoff from the site, with the pole barn to be built on the property’s high point.
The board made its approval contingent on the engineering department’s review to make sure the neighbors wouldn’t experience flooding as a result.
In another case Monday, Sworden represented Jose Vargas, of Portage, who wanted to put a 1,200-square-foot pole barn for his boat at a wooded site at County Line Road and Lincoln Street.
Neighbors, including former Mayor Olga Velazquez, complained about someone who doesn’t live in that subdivision building a pole barn there.
It’s a less intensive use than putting a home on that property, Sworden said.
The request was denied by a 3-1 vote.
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The board unanimously approved putting a storage container modified to serve as a storm shelter at Maverick Transportation’s property at 5885 Carlson Ave.
“This is a high-capacity storm shelter. It’s basically rated for an F5 tornado,” Maverick’s Perry Harrison said.
The shelter has capacity for 48 people, twice the number of the company’s employees, so it would serve as a community shelter. The logo would remain on the storm shelter to let everyone know its intended use.
“It hadn’t been on our radar for this location,” Harrison said, but with Portage’s recent severe storms, “It’s time to do it here.”
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.