Menu
Ice cream shop proposed for old Greencastle VFW site
A proposal to convert the old Greencastle VFW post at 819 S. Jackson St. into a restaurant/ice cream shop will be heard by the Board of Zoning Appeals when it meets for its March meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.
Petitioner Doug Hansel, who owns the Brazil Tastee Freeze, is seeking a use variance to put an ice cream shop in the 9,000-square-foot building that served as Jesse M. Lee VFW Post 155 for more than 80 years. The VFW ceased operations in the building at the end of June 2023.
The building is located in a Traditional Neighborhood zoning district on the city’s southwest side. The area to the north of it has previously seen various commercial uses, including Gould’s Market, PM Video, Muncie’s Cabinet Shop, Priest’s Vacuum Repair, a two-bay car wash and even the Oddfellows Lodge. All are now gone with the properties being purchased by DePauw University for campus expansion.
Currently DePauw uses the building immediately north of the VFW post for storage. That property is also owned by the VFW and is being purchased by Hansel, reportedly with the intent to continue leasing it to the university.
City Planner Scott Zimmerman notes that rezoning 819 S. Jackson instead of applying a use variance would result in spot zoning and potentially create commercial uses “not appropriate for the neighborhood.”
Likewise, converting the building into a single-family residential use would likely result in a residence inconsistent with the size and character of the rest of the neighborhood, Zimmernan pointed out in a draft of his staff report in advance of Tuesday’s public meeting.
The property is almost entirely building and asphalt with the exception of some small green space at the front near Jackson Street. Lack of any lawn space makes it undesirable for residential use, the planner added.
Limiting the old VFW site to the permitted use of single-family residential would likely result in making the property really of no use, Zimmerman also noted. To rezone it to the adjoining University District (UN) would additionally limit its use and tie it to DePauw needs, which may not exist.
The plan is for the restaurant/ice cream shop to have seating for 60 and a meeting room for parties in the rear.
Hansel plans to restripe the asphalt to create better defined parking and entrance/exit to the restaurant.
In addition to the request for a use variance, Hansel is also asking for a development standards variance to allow signage in the Traditional Neighborhood.
Although the plan may include reusing the existing VFW pole sign, if that is not reused, provision for a more appropriate ground sign and wall signage will require a variance.
In addition to the plans for a restaurant/ice cream shop, the Zoning Board Tuesday will also consider two requests from SRC Rentals LLC for development of a duplex in a single-family dwelling district on a corner lot at Martinsville and Central streets.
Being requested are a special exception to allow the duplex and a development standards variance to reduce the required front-yard setback on a local street from 20 feet to 12 feet.
Similar duplexes are within 600 feet of the site at 91 Martinsville St.
The Greencastle Board of Zoning Appeals is chaired by Veronica Pejril with Paul Champion, Jon Clark, Kevin Verhoff and John Phillips as members. The BZA meets regularly at 6 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at City Hall.