Council votes to rezone property for Speedway expansion

Elyria City Council voted Oct. 1 to rezone property near the Speedway Gas Station, 710 Griswold Road, to allow the company to expand the facility and offer more services to customers.

Council voted to rezone property at 632 Leona St. from a B-N District Neighborhood to a B-AO Business Automotive District.

The property is site of the former Lucky’s Sports Bar & Grille, Joyful Mug Sports Bar and Mall Drive Thru.

The rezoning makes it possible for the fuel station to expand with an improvement of gas pumps and the new Speedway Cafe, said Mary Siwierka, safety service director of Elyria.

In order to expand, Speedway purchased the property on Leona.

Siwierka said gas pumps will be “bigger and brighter” and the Speedway Cafe will offer a larger variety of food.

“This is the new standard of Speedway gas stations,” she said.

The expanded Speedway is expected to take up 46,000 square feet, said Kevin Brubaker, assistant safety service director.

The planning process for the Speedway expansion is in the early stages and likely will go through numerous approvals, Brubaker said.

The expansion also must get approval from the design review process, he said.

“It’s another business that’s expanding and growing here in town, and it’s also another portion of the mayor’s redevelopment project for the mall area,” Brubaker said. “Here you have a business that’s been here forever that’s now going to buy joining properties and build a new and stronger Speedway. It’s very positive for Elyria.”

The expansion will benefit an area with projects in the planning stages, including new ownership on the land near 49th Street, a restaurant, hotel and other projects in the Midway Mall area, he said.

In other news, Council voted Oct. 1 to increase the maximum age limit for original applicants to the Elyria Police Department from 35 years old to 40 years old.