Why plans for a new Dollar General in east Columbia were nixed by the city council
A proposed approximately 10,000-square-foot Dollar General directly next to a residential neighborhood in east Columbia at St. Charles and Lake of the Woods roads failed to receive Columbia City Council support Tuesday.
While concessions were made through the planning and zoning process related to the seven-acre parcel of land dating back to May, overarching public safety and traffic concerns killed approval of the planned development site plan.
Dollar General had agreements, though not in writing as one nearby resident noted during public comments, to include privacy fencing around the business and to prevent pedestrian cut-throughs on this person's residential property.
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The company also had agreed to construct an 8-foot-wide sidewalk from the intersection at St. Charles and Lake of the Woods to the BP gas station at St. Charles and Clark Lane. Landscaping and vegetation buffers also were part of the site plan.
Another Dollar General is located approximately 2 miles west on Clark Lane and is not located directly next to a residential neighborhood.
A survey of other Dollar General locations within a 2- to 4-mile radius of the subject property are not directly adjacent to residential neighborhoods. There are greater land buffers than what was proposed in the site plan.
The reason for the proximity comes down to how the three residential properties were rezoned in 2013 after an annexation request by property owners. The residential structures still stand.
The property owners at the time requested it rezoned as planned commercial.
One of those neighbors was Joanne Allen, who still lives in her home within the annexed land and is the immediate neighbor to the west of the proposed Dollar General.
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Allen had teamed together with her neighbors directly east and west of her property to request the rezoning based on potential redevelopment of the south side of St. Charles Road, based on advice from a real estate agent, she said, answering a question from Third Ward council member Roy Lovelady.
"It was an ideal property," she said, adding an LLC was created but was later dissolved and she took her property off the market. "The other two properties kept theirs listed. That is why the subject property has gone ahead and accepted an offer from Dollar General."
The lone comment in favor of the development Tuesday came from Dollar General representatives themselves.
Public safety concerns mostly related to pedestrian safety as Battle elementary and high schools are nearby. Increased traffic congestion and the potential for crashes also were at the forefront of resident concerns. Based on comments during Tuesday's council meeting, a traffic study was not conducted.
Properties directly south of the subject site are zoned as mixed-use corridor or planned development. Residences neighboring the subject site are not within city limits.
Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Please consider subscribing to support vital local journalism.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Dollar General location nixed after Columbia City Council vote
