Dollar General is moving forward with their plan to build a new store along W. National Road. In 2015, a similar request was denied for the rezoning of farmland not far from the current proposed site. Residents voiced their concerns about the land at that time noting a number of issues with flooding of properties next to the location. The deal was dropped and no further indications of building in the area appeared until the current rezoning request.
The new site is already zoned for business as there was a market located on the two acres a number of years ago. The zoning request to move from B-2 to B-1 has been approved by both the county planning and rural zoning boards according to Allan Neimayer, Senior Planner for Community Development.
The only serious concern that the Bethel Twp Trustees raised was over its position at the corner of US-40 and Tecumseh Rd. The trustees acknowledged that this particular intersection has a history of traffic incidents, with no certain cause as to what makes the joint road so hazardous in comparison to other local roads. The most recent incident came this January when a three-car wreck that left four people injured. This intersection, according to the Bethel Twp, has gained a reputation for being hazardous for drivers crossing or merging onto US-40.
Bethel Fire Chief, Jacob King, offered that the issue seems to be in the layout of the roads for the east-west traffic, making it difficult for drivers to calculate oncoming traffic from Route 40. There are stop-signs on either side of road 40 on the intersection, which lends to the difficulty drivers from Tecumseh Road have in assessing the speed of adjacent traffic.
Other than some concerns over the trafficking situation on the intersection, however, the trustees of Bethel Twp gave little cause for concern over the impending construction of the new general store. A slight concern was expressed over the necessity of rezoning the area across from the current Fort Tecumseh building, but as of now it seems as though it would be an unnecessary feature of the project.
Neimayer explained that the property would not have needed to be rezoned with a B-2 designation however the detention requirements by the county brought the matter to the approval process.
The land at 5550 W. National Road where the retail building will be located is at the northwest corner of W. National and Tecumseh Roads. Neimayer noted that the entrance will be off of Tecumseh Road and it is believed that no changes will be needed related to traffic signals. He went on to note that any changes of this nature would be decided after an evaluation by the Clark County Engineer’s office.
Dollar General would be the first large retail store to serve the Donnellsville area and residents of Bethel Township living in this part of the Clark County.
The final rezoning is determined by the Clark County Commissioners. It is expected that the packet will appear on their desk sometime next month for a vote in late July.
