If there is one thing the Parking district can use more of is parking. Ellicott Development is seeking Zoning Board of Appeals approval on Wednesday to expand a parking lot on the northwest corner of South Park and Michigan Avenue by ten spaces. An existing house on the site was demolished earlier this year. Ellicott owns the adjacent building at 41 Columbia Street.
The request variance will help the parking lot fit into the character of the neighborhood – Ellicott Development
A variance is needed to allow for the additional parking. From the project application:
We are requesting an area variance from this requirement to allow an accessory surface parking lot at the corner side yard. We feel that the variance being requested is justified since the existing parking lot at the corner of Michigan Avenue and South Park Avenue since the 1960s. The expansion of this lot onto 190 South Park will have not create an undesirable change to the neighborhood since 190 South Park was formerly home to a 2-story residential dwelling that was demolished in July 2021 and was surrounded by industrial uses since it was built.