By Ashley McLeod, Staff Writer
Dec 2, 2014, 14:11
PRINCE GEORGE — A group of approximately 14 community members attended the Prince George Board of Supervisors meeting on Nov. 25 to protest the rezoning of almost 20 acres of land off of Courtland Road in which the landowner intends to open a Dollar General store.
The landowner, Robert Hill, Jr., petitioned to rezone the land, which is currently zoned as residential, into a general business zone. The land in question is currently vacant.
The rezoning application was put before the planning commission on Oct. 23, where a public comment period was held. The commission approved the application for the rezoning.
The area near the site where Hill proposes the construction of the Dollar General store has limited service businesses. The construction of this store would allow residents to have easier access to shopping.
But some nearby residents are concerned with what sort of effect this project would have on the community around it.
James Merhout spoke to the board during the public hearing, representing a group of 14 residents who live within three miles of the site, and they are opposed to the rezoning and construction of the Dollar General. Merhout listed a number of concerns, including road improvements, lack of pedestrian crossings, how the site could cause loitering and trash problems, along with others. Merhout also pointed out that there are already failed businesses on empty lots, and how those areas need to be rejuvenated before new ones are created.
“We’ve got a defunct hotel that looks like Jurassic Park on steroids, we’ve got areas that have been bulldozed and timber cut down and nothing was ever put back in. The existing B-1 zoning needs to be cleaned up and reactivated, reenergized, rather than adding new zoning areas,” Merhout said. “We need to take care of what we have and then expand into what we need.”
Paul Higgins, who lives just south of the area in question, presented the board with a petition with 153 signatures in opposition to the proposed plan. Higgins questioned the need for the opening of a Dollar General in the area as well.
“We have one six minutes down the road. There are seven stores within 10 miles of us and this location,” Higgins said.
Higgins also questioned why 19.84 acres needed to be rezoned in order to build one store off of a road in which there is a large amount of truck traffic and a speed limit of 55 miles per hour.
“It can be very frightening to pull on or off the road with the volume of traffic today,” Higgins said.
Both Higgins and Merhout brought attention to the fact that the area in question is designated as a rural conservation area, which was designated in the comprehensive plan by the county in 2012. According to county documents, a rural conservation area is designated as such in order to “maintain the rural character of the County with policies, which will help preserve the agricultural and rural character of the area.” This type of land designation also puts restrictions on how the land is used.
Higgins, like Merhout, suggested cleaning up the already commercially zoned land near the proposed site, before “rezoning anymore Prince George countryside.”
But not all local residents opposed the plan. Several residents close to the proposed site spoke in support of the rezoning and construction of the Dollar General on Courtland Road.
Joshua Smallwood lives approximately 10 minutes from the proposed site and agreed with those opposed that there may be issues at first, but pointed out that you have to start somewhere for improvement to occur.
“Rezoning can add to what’s there, and start to make it look better than what it was,” Smallwood said. “If you come together on the issue, you can stop some of this as it starts.”
Another resident, Margaret White, also agreed that there may be some issues with the rezoning and construction of the store, but, like Smallwood, agreed that it was necessary for the area to expand, that these issues go hand in hand with the growth of the area.
“Many small towns and communities that are not served by the larger retailers usually have a dollar store present in the community,” White said. “If you stop growth, then you may end up pushing people away.”
White said she enjoys shopping at the conveniently sized stores because they are small enough to locate what she wants in a timely manner and at a decent price, and allows her to shop without feeling overwhelmed, like many large chain retails may do.
Carrie Jones lives behind where the Dollar General would be, and also is in support of bringing the store to the site.
“I think it’s good for jobs, for people who don’t have wheels that can better themselves by getting a job and walking there, bringing themselves up,” Jones said.
The opening of the store could also help many residents in nearby areas, allowing for something closer than there already is available, including Frances and Jimmy Reed, who live in Stoney Creek, approximately 15 minutes from the site.
The couple currently drives either to Petersburg or Emporia in order to shop for their daily needs. The opening of the store on Courtland Road would allow the couple to cut their gas expense in half, as well as spending less money on their shopping, due to lower prices at the Dollar General. The Reeds pointed out that many families are struggling, and that this store could help a great amount of those in need.
“The way things are in this world, that would be a great help to the people,” Reed said.
The public meeting did not end in a vote following public comments but was kept open until the January 13 meeting, due to the absence of two board members, and concerns from community members.
A representative of the landowner agreed at the meeting that posts would be put up on the property, showing where the store is proposed to be, so that community members are able to understand the land change more.
