Below is an email that was mailed to everyone on the Dollar General email list.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Hi
everyone, I met with the contractor, Chuck Byrd, last Tuesday to discuss the
traffic island and the outside of the store among other topics. He was
very friendly and answered all of my questions without hesitation. He
assured me that the outside of the building is going to be all brick just like
the pictures that they sent me before they started building. He said that
the siding that is up now is a vapor barrier.
I asked him when the traffic island would be coming out and his reply was
"whenever you tell me to do it." He did say that it will put
the entrance of the subdivision down to one lane for three or possibly four
days. So he would like me to get a consensus of when it would be best for
the residents to have this done. I talked with my wife and her concern is
that buses may not be able to get in and out very easily if it is done during
the week. My concern is that getting in and out of the subdivision during
rush hour during the week could be bad as well. But the weekend is when
everyone is generally home and running errands so maybe that isn't so great
either. Bottom line is the island has to come out and we will have to
deal with the traffic headaches, but at least they are letting us pick when we
feel we will be impacted the least.
I spoke with Chuck tonight and he is willing to come to my house tomorrow night
at 5:45pm to meet with residents to answer any questions and to discuss when we
want the island to come out. (He did say that they are in the process of
finishing up a store in Florence, KY, but as long as an emergency at that store
doesn't come up, he will do everything he can to make it) He also
mentioned that any dirt or trees that they dig up from the island would be free
to a good home if someone would stop down and pick them up. He said that
they can pull the trees out by their root ball so they can be replanted.
I volunteered to take one tree home with me, but there will be others
available.
I think we have a group of pretty level headed people who can carry on good conversations
relative to the topic at hand, but let me say that this meeting is not the time
or place to ask questions that Chuck can't answer and has no control
over. You don't go to McDonalds and complain to the 16 year old that
takes your order that the fries cost too much, because there isn't a thing in
the world the kid could do about it. Likewise, asking why Dollar General
chose this location, or why our Alexandria planning and zoning is requiring the
the island to come out, is above Chuck's pay grade, and won't do a bit of
good. But on things that Chuck actually has control over I feel like he
will do his best to accomodate us within reason.
I encourage everyone to attend who can, and if you can't make it, feel free to
send me an email with your question or concern and I will address them with
Chuck.
I know I don't have everyone's email addresses so feel free to forward this on
to those I may have missed.
I hope to see you tomorrow night,
Andy Schabell
Monday, January 16, 2012
Email response from the Mayor
Attached is the email I received from Mayor Rachford regarding my request for the email the Mrs Thomas went on record at the next planning and zoning meeting saying she did not appreciate. For the privacy of the person who sent the original email to the mayor, I have X'ed out their name.
I will stand by earlier comments that I have made in saying that the city of Alexandria's planning and zoning regulations need a giant overhaul. As witnessed by the email sent by the Mayor to Mr Jewell, the chairman of the P&Z board, once a parcel is zoned "highway commercial" the residents near it have absolutely no say in the process from start to finish. They cannot get there hands on any copies submitted to the P&Z board before they are made public, which is only after they have been approved. Residents cannot ask questions of the developer or P&Z board members to maybe point out things that have not been previously mentioned or discussed. In addition to the residents not having a voice, our city council is left completely out of the process and cannot say one way or the other if they are in favor or if they disapprove of a proposed development for fear of being sued.
If the present system has let the P&Z board, the members of city council, and the residents of Alexandria get railroaded into allowing developments that they do not approve of, isn't it time for a change?
I will be presenting a detailed outline of my proposed changes to the system at an upcoming city council meeting.
If the present system has let the P&Z board, the members of city council, and the residents of Alexandria get railroaded into allowing developments that they do not approve of, isn't it time for a change?
I will be presenting a detailed outline of my proposed changes to the system at an upcoming city council meeting.
__________________________________________________________________________________
from
Bill Rachford brachford@alexandriaky.org
Bill Rachford brachford@alexandriaky.org
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Schabell, copy of me email per your request.
Bill
From: Bill Rachford
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2011 4:33 PM
To: 'John Jewell'
Subject: FW: I was referred to you by Mr. Graus and Mr. Hart
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2011 4:33 PM
To: 'John Jewell'
Subject: FW: I was referred to you by Mr. Graus and Mr. Hart
John,
FYI. Please review Mr. XXXX’s email. We can address the safety
issues, etc and the zoning of a retailer in the front of his
subdivision. We can always request a traffic study from the state for a
yes or no vote on traffic flow.
However,
we do need to remind the members of P&Z about the responsibilities
of their office. I think he is correct, the vote should have been 7-0
in favor. They need to vote with the law and not their sympathy for
folks who don’t want a retail store in their neighborhood (which was
approved at the very outset of the project). The last thing we need is
another lawsuit like the Speedway case. I know this case is
significantly different since there were no variances in question and
the developer has agreed to go above and beyond the call of duty in
landscaping, etc. I don’t have everyone’s email address at my
fingertips so I ask that you forward this to your members. I will be
out of town rest of this week but will be in next Monday.
Thanks,
Bill
From: XXXX
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 1:03 PM
To: Bill Rachford
Cc: sgraus@alexandriaky.org; dhart@alexandriaky.org
Subject: I was referred to you by Mr. Graus and Mr. Hart
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 1:03 PM
To: Bill Rachford
Cc: sgraus@alexandriaky.org; dhart@alexandriaky.org
Subject: I was referred to you by Mr. Graus and Mr. Hart
Mayor Rachford,
I
would first like to thank Mr. Graus and Mr. Hart for speaking with my
family last evening near the end of the Planning and Zoning meeting. I
would also like to thank them for passing on my concern with the
communication from the Alexandria City Building. It was very
disheartening to find out at the meeting I would not be able to ask
questions after I had called the city building on Monday to ask
questions and was told that I would not be able to speak with anyone
Monday but needed to attend the meeting on Tuesday to voice my concern.
Concern:
Dollar General building a store at the front of SummerLake Subdivision
using the entrance of SummerLake for their business traffic.
Issues: Safety, Traffic, Home Value
I
believe my neighbors have gone into detail about each of these I will
not waste your time in having to read the same complaints over and
over. However, I am still very confused about what happened at
the Meeting last night. The gentleman who ran the meeting had a very
caviler attitude about the whole process giving the impression that he
and the city members present where of the attitude, "we don't live in
the Subdivision so we don't care - lets get this over with." I don't
believe all of the members of the board had that same attitude as
several asked legitimate questions concerning the development. He made a
big point in the beginning of the meeting to go over the two types of
meetings. He specifically stated the meeting being held last night was
to make the decision of whether or not the plans were in adherence to
code and could be approved. He went on further to explain it would be
against the law for he or anyone else present to vote for or against the
plans based on personal belief and not whether or not the plans were
legally valid plans.
Based
on the explanation given at the meeting it was concerning that the vote
was not 7-0 one way or the other. Due to the information given at the
beginning of the meeting it sounded as though the plans either passed
inspection and would be approved (the reason we were not able to
speak) or they did not pass inspection and would be disapproved (what
happened the first time the plans were submitted). I and the majority
of my neighbors are very confused and can't figure out if the 3 who
voted against the plans broke the law or the 4 or voted for the plans
broke the law. A 3-4 vote seems to imply 3 members felt the plans did
not pass inspection.
Clearly
in a government setting with city police present if someone had broken
the law there should have been other actions taken last night. By no
one being arrested it would imply that the information given at the
beginning was misinterpreted, wrong, misleading, or something of the
like. I am not accusing either side of the vote of breaking the law,
but I am still puzzled as to how the vote should be interpreted based on
the information given at the meeting.
I
think part of the concern of residents is there doesn't seem to be many
answers for the questions other than "We can't do anything about it,
its the law."
I ask, if you have not already done so to review the film of the meeting last night.
Please let me know the following so I can inform my neighbors:
1) I
will not ask about what specifically will be done about general
safety/traffic as that was in a basic form addressed last night. As a
neighborhood we do not feel the answer given (completely safe no
expectation of added danger) is accurate.
2)
What will happen if the store is built, a traffic study is done, study
shows a light is needed, but the state will not allow another light due
to the distance between the Subdivision and Lickert? It was stated last
night that a reasonable traffic study could not be done until the store
is open. Can a traffic study be done now to see how close it would be
to needing a traffic light? The Subdivision is substantially larger
than it was just a few years ago. If a study now shows that just a few
more cars would push the need for a traffic light - the Subdivision has
plans for around a 100 or more additional homes which I would think the
future traffic of the Subdivision would need to be taken into account as
well.
3) Are there any plans by the city to help battle the drop in Home Value this will bring?
4)
How the voting works: Do the voters have discretion or not? If the
issue is as black and white as do the plans meet the requirements to be
approved why wasn't the vote 7-0 one way or the other?
5)
What is the driving force behind approving this store in this
location? I am against any retailer using the space and sharing the
entrance to our Subdivision. I personally would not like a retailer at
the top of the street but if they had their own entrance and exit to 27
and there was no road connecting the Subdivision to the parking lot I
don't know that there would be nearly as many people upset.
There is commercial property directly across the highway off of old 27, Sharky's and K&M both are already there.
Last: From the City Website
My interests as Mayor are:
1) Keeping Alexandria a safe place in which to live and work;
2) Maintaining a fiscally sound municipality while keeping our taxes low;
3) Properly managing our upcoming growth and prosperity.
4) Consistently enforcing our ordinances.
5) Improving the physical apearance of our city.
1) Keeping Alexandria a safe place in which to live and work;
2) Maintaining a fiscally sound municipality while keeping our taxes low;
3) Properly managing our upcoming growth and prosperity.
4) Consistently enforcing our ordinances.
5) Improving the physical apearance of our city.
I will find it hard to believe 1,2,3,4, and 5 if SummerLake is forced to share their entrance with a retailer.
Thank You,
Monday, January 9, 2012
Interesting note about email sent by Mayor
A quick glance of the minutes from the October 18, 2011 planning and zoning meeting on Alexandria's website raises more questions than answers.
According to the minutes there was some discussion about the previous meeting and the vote taken where 3 of the 7 commissioners voted against the proposed store. The minutes read;
"There was discussion brought up about the vote taken at the last meeting regarding approval of the site plan for the Dollar General Store on US 27 and Summerlake. For the record, Susie Thomas stated she did not appreciate the e-mail that was sent by the Mayor to the effect that all commissioners should have voted for the plan, and Sonny Markus agreed as well"
Very interesting indeed. I have sent the Mayor an email requesting a copy of the email in question.
According to the minutes there was some discussion about the previous meeting and the vote taken where 3 of the 7 commissioners voted against the proposed store. The minutes read;
"There was discussion brought up about the vote taken at the last meeting regarding approval of the site plan for the Dollar General Store on US 27 and Summerlake. For the record, Susie Thomas stated she did not appreciate the e-mail that was sent by the Mayor to the effect that all commissioners should have voted for the plan, and Sonny Markus agreed as well"
Very interesting indeed. I have sent the Mayor an email requesting a copy of the email in question.
Dollar General store back in the news again
Just a quick article stating that the store is under construction.
ALEXANDRIA — Construction is progressing on a new Dollar General store at 9809 U.S. 27.
Dollar General spokesperson Emily Weiss said she could not confirm an opening date for the 9,000-square-foot store.
The store will be the second in theAlexandria area for the Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based chain.
Plans for the store were approved by the Alexandria Planning & Zoning Commission last fall.
The approval came after some residents of the Summerlake subdivision expressed concerns about the store being at the entrance of their neighborhood. Traffic flow and congestion were among their concerns.
The store will create some jobs in Alexandria. Weiss said a typical Dollar General store employs about seven to 10 people.
Employment information and job applications are available at www.dollargeneral.com.
Jeff McKinney
http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20120106/NEWS0103/301060164/
Alexandria Dollar General coming together
6:06 PM, Jan. 6, 2012 |
Comments
DOLLARGENERAL KY JANUARY 6, 2012 Alex Mejia pre-drills siding for a new Dollar General store under construction in the 9800 block of US 27, Alexandria. He works for Postell Steel Erectors, Rome, GA. The Enquirer/Patrick Reddy / Patrick Reddy/Enquirer Media
Dollar General spokesperson Emily Weiss said she could not confirm an opening date for the 9,000-square-foot store.
The store will be the second in theAlexandria area for the Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based chain.
Plans for the store were approved by the Alexandria Planning & Zoning Commission last fall.
The approval came after some residents of the Summerlake subdivision expressed concerns about the store being at the entrance of their neighborhood. Traffic flow and congestion were among their concerns.
The store will create some jobs in Alexandria. Weiss said a typical Dollar General store employs about seven to 10 people.
Employment information and job applications are available at www.dollargeneral.com.
Jeff McKinney
http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20120106/NEWS0103/301060164/
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Dollar General store has been approved
In what was quite possibly the most crowded Alexandria Planning and Zoning meeting in recent history, the residents of Summerlake Subdivision showed up in droves to show that they are not happy about the Dollar General to be located in their subdivision.
A standing room only crowd watched with heavy hearts as Alexandria Planning and Zoning commission voted 4-3 in favor of forever changing the face of their subdivision. Several residents were unhappy that they were not allowed to speak on the record in opposition to the store. However, John Jewell, chairman of the P&Z said that no comments were going to be allowed during the meeting.
Earlier in the day over 20 emails were sent back and forth between Summerlake residents and 3 members of city council and the mayor of Alexandria. City council members Barbara Weber, Stacey Graus, and Dave Hart as well as Mayor Rachford all helped everyone understand the process that was going to take place that night. The main topic of conversation during the emails was if city council members had the right to represent the people of Alexandria at Planning and Zoning meetings. The resounding answer was a firm and fearful "NO!". City council years ago had tried to represent the citizens by opposing a Speedway gas station at the corner Poplar Ridge road and US 27. When they were successful in stopping the project Speedway successfully sued the city and members of council and came away victorious. It is very easy to see that this has left a very bad taste in all city council members mouths.
All the hard work and opposition was for not as the meeting ended on a sour note and residents walked away disappointed not only in the vote, but the process that explicitly excluded them from having any say whatsoever in a building that they would have to live with as long as they remained in the subdivision.
Channel 9 news was present for the meeting, their news clip can be viewed here;
Chris Mayhew from the Alexandria Community Recorder was also present. His article can be viewed here;
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/campbellcountyconnects/2011/09/21/alexandria-dollar-general-plans-move-forward/
Chris really did a great job of capturing the meeting on paper.
Alexandria Dollar General plans move forward
(Council members Scott Fleckinger, Robert Simon and Joseph Anderson did not answer or participate in ANY email conversations during this whole process. A fact that should not be lost on the people of Summerlake next time they vote for city council members)
A standing room only crowd watched with heavy hearts as Alexandria Planning and Zoning commission voted 4-3 in favor of forever changing the face of their subdivision. Several residents were unhappy that they were not allowed to speak on the record in opposition to the store. However, John Jewell, chairman of the P&Z said that no comments were going to be allowed during the meeting.
Earlier in the day over 20 emails were sent back and forth between Summerlake residents and 3 members of city council and the mayor of Alexandria. City council members Barbara Weber, Stacey Graus, and Dave Hart as well as Mayor Rachford all helped everyone understand the process that was going to take place that night. The main topic of conversation during the emails was if city council members had the right to represent the people of Alexandria at Planning and Zoning meetings. The resounding answer was a firm and fearful "NO!". City council years ago had tried to represent the citizens by opposing a Speedway gas station at the corner Poplar Ridge road and US 27. When they were successful in stopping the project Speedway successfully sued the city and members of council and came away victorious. It is very easy to see that this has left a very bad taste in all city council members mouths.
All the hard work and opposition was for not as the meeting ended on a sour note and residents walked away disappointed not only in the vote, but the process that explicitly excluded them from having any say whatsoever in a building that they would have to live with as long as they remained in the subdivision.
Channel 9 news was present for the meeting, their news clip can be viewed here;
Chris Mayhew from the Alexandria Community Recorder was also present. His article can be viewed here;
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/campbellcountyconnects/2011/09/21/alexandria-dollar-general-plans-move-forward/
Chris really did a great job of capturing the meeting on paper.
Alexandria Dollar General plans move forward
By Chris Mayhew • cmayhew@nky.com
ALEXANDRIA – Plans for a new Dollar General store at the entrance to the Summerlake subdivision off U.S. 27 in Alexandria have been approved.
The site plan for a store on land in front of the subdivision previously zoned suitable for highway commercial uses was approved by the Alexandria Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday, Sept. 20.
A standing room only crowd of more than 60 residents of the subdivision concerned about how the store will impact their property values and the traffic flow around the only entrance to their neighborhood watched the meeting and decision without having a chance to comment.
The commission was serving in an administrative capacity and therefore outside comment was not relative to the decision they had to make about the site plan, said John Jewell, chairman of the P&Z commission at the start of the meeting.
“We will not be taking public testimony tonight,” Jewell said.
Only the question being considered was whether the site plan before the commission complies with the the city’s code of ordinances and zoning laws, he said. To consider other factors would violate Kentucky law, Jewell said.
“Because whether you like it or whether you don’t it, comes down to does it comply to ordinances or does it not,” he said.
Mike Price, of MAP Engineers in Chattanooga, Tenn., presented the site plan for the proposed 9,200-square-foot Dollar General store to be constructed with brick walls on all four sides.
“Dollar General has identified this as an area that they’re interested in locating a store,” Price said.
Price said the plan proposed is a good one and will be a benefit to the community.
Commission member Rick Neltner said he was concerned about truck deliveries tying up the entrance to the subdivision when people were trying to go to work in the mornings.
Price said there are typically two truck deliveries per week to the store and a truck would not take more than one minute to get into the store’s lot and off the subdivision’s entry road.
Jewell said two deliveries per week didn’t sound like much to be concerned about.
As Jewell called for a vote to accept the site plan application two or three different members of the crowd shouted “deny this” and asked commission members to vote against the plan.
Jewell then instructed commission members to disregard the comments and asked Alexandria Police Chief Mike Ward to require the audience to remain silent.
Using a roll call vote, the commission approved the plan by a 4-3 margin. Voting yes were Jewell, Dan Feldman, Rick Neltner and Ron Johnson. Voting no were Sonny Markus, Susi Thomas and Stu Stormer.
The crowd of Summerlake residents left the meeting, and Price spent almost 45 minutes addressing their questions and comments on the city hall steps.
Price said his client intends to build on the site and asking them to move it somewhere else was “non-starter” and not a compromise.
The property owners want to make sure it is a property that people would like to have in their community, he said.
“We’re going to work towards putting a store there that will make you all happy at the end of the day,” Price said.
The intent is to start construction as soon as possible, possibly within four to six weeks, he said.
Resident Bryan Chomyszak said to Price that if the store is built, a lot of people will be mad at Dollar General.
Chomyszak said the residents didn’t want the additional traffic a store will bring, and they believe the appearance of the store and signage will hurt their property values.
After speaking with Price, Chomyszak said he was more upset the planning commission didn’t let residents express their comments for the record in the meeting even if the comments couldn’t be considered for the vote.
“I think the citizens are disappointed that the Planning and Zoning Commission did not give us an opportunity to speak,” Chomyszak said.
Resident Tom Schneller said residents, including himself, hadn’t known the property in front of their subdivision was zoned for highway commercial.
“That’s the problem, it shouldn’t have been zoned commercial,” Schneller said
ALEXANDRIA – Plans for a new Dollar General store at the entrance to the Summerlake subdivision off U.S. 27 in Alexandria have been approved.
The site plan for a store on land in front of the subdivision previously zoned suitable for highway commercial uses was approved by the Alexandria Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday, Sept. 20.
A standing room only crowd of more than 60 residents of the subdivision concerned about how the store will impact their property values and the traffic flow around the only entrance to their neighborhood watched the meeting and decision without having a chance to comment.
The commission was serving in an administrative capacity and therefore outside comment was not relative to the decision they had to make about the site plan, said John Jewell, chairman of the P&Z commission at the start of the meeting.
“We will not be taking public testimony tonight,” Jewell said.
Only the question being considered was whether the site plan before the commission complies with the the city’s code of ordinances and zoning laws, he said. To consider other factors would violate Kentucky law, Jewell said.
“Because whether you like it or whether you don’t it, comes down to does it comply to ordinances or does it not,” he said.
Mike Price, of MAP Engineers in Chattanooga, Tenn., presented the site plan for the proposed 9,200-square-foot Dollar General store to be constructed with brick walls on all four sides.
“Dollar General has identified this as an area that they’re interested in locating a store,” Price said.
Price said the plan proposed is a good one and will be a benefit to the community.
Commission member Rick Neltner said he was concerned about truck deliveries tying up the entrance to the subdivision when people were trying to go to work in the mornings.
Price said there are typically two truck deliveries per week to the store and a truck would not take more than one minute to get into the store’s lot and off the subdivision’s entry road.
Jewell said two deliveries per week didn’t sound like much to be concerned about.
As Jewell called for a vote to accept the site plan application two or three different members of the crowd shouted “deny this” and asked commission members to vote against the plan.
Jewell then instructed commission members to disregard the comments and asked Alexandria Police Chief Mike Ward to require the audience to remain silent.
Using a roll call vote, the commission approved the plan by a 4-3 margin. Voting yes were Jewell, Dan Feldman, Rick Neltner and Ron Johnson. Voting no were Sonny Markus, Susi Thomas and Stu Stormer.
The crowd of Summerlake residents left the meeting, and Price spent almost 45 minutes addressing their questions and comments on the city hall steps.
Price said his client intends to build on the site and asking them to move it somewhere else was “non-starter” and not a compromise.
The property owners want to make sure it is a property that people would like to have in their community, he said.
“We’re going to work towards putting a store there that will make you all happy at the end of the day,” Price said.
The intent is to start construction as soon as possible, possibly within four to six weeks, he said.
Resident Bryan Chomyszak said to Price that if the store is built, a lot of people will be mad at Dollar General.
Chomyszak said the residents didn’t want the additional traffic a store will bring, and they believe the appearance of the store and signage will hurt their property values.
After speaking with Price, Chomyszak said he was more upset the planning commission didn’t let residents express their comments for the record in the meeting even if the comments couldn’t be considered for the vote.
“I think the citizens are disappointed that the Planning and Zoning Commission did not give us an opportunity to speak,” Chomyszak said.
Resident Tom Schneller said residents, including himself, hadn’t known the property in front of their subdivision was zoned for highway commercial.
“That’s the problem, it shouldn’t have been zoned commercial,” Schneller said
(Council members Scott Fleckinger, Robert Simon and Joseph Anderson did not answer or participate in ANY email conversations during this whole process. A fact that should not be lost on the people of Summerlake next time they vote for city council members)
Monday, September 19, 2011
Below are emails sent to all members of Alexandria City Council and Mayor Rachford concerning the proposed site of the store.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hello
members of City Council and Mayor Rachford, I would like to formally
invite you to attend the planning and zoning meeting scheduled for
tomorrow night at 7pm regarding the proposed Dollar General Store at the
intersection of US27 and Summerlake Drive. Please come and voice your
opposition to the store.
I must also say, that with the exception of Ms. Weber and Ms. Hofstetter who have been very good about communication, I am very disappointed in the lack of response from all other members of city council and the Mayor to the emails that I have sent. I am hoping for a show of support from the council and the mayor at this meeting. We are expecting a large crowd and hopefully several news and media outlets. I have been in conversations with Mrs Tricia Macke from Fox 19 who said they will have a reporter present, and Chris Mayhew from the Alexandria Recorder who will be present as well.
Below is an email I sent to Chief Ward regarding the safety concerns at the store's proposed location.
Please help us keep our community safe and beautiful.
Thank you,
Andy Schabell
Hello Chief Ward, I spoke with you at the August coffee with the mayor meeting regarding the proposed Dolllar General store at the intersection of US27 and Summerlake Drive in Alexandria. From speaking with you I gathered that it is your duty as chief to investigate any potential traffic issues concerning all new buildings in Alexandria. I have not had the opportunity to speak with you since our initial meeting and I am curious what you found.
Ms. Hofstetter emailed myself and other concerned residents of the subdivision on Friday to let us know that the proposal for this store would be going in front of the Planning and Zoning board this Tuesday August 20th at 7pm.
We have passed out flyers and spoke with many residents of the subdivision regarding the proposed store. The overwhelming majority think that the store is going to present safety issues not only getting in and out of our subdivision, but also from increased traffic going past the store and "exploring" our subdivision. I know that the police department has in the past received calls from residents concerned about speeding in our subdivision. It is our position that increased traffic in and around our subdivision will lead to more instances of speeding.
My sister just started driving this year and attends Bishop Brossart High School with your daughter. She watches my children ages 10 and 4 after school 3 days a week while my wife and I are working. It is already hard enough for her to get in and out of our subdivision safely without the added traffic that a Dollar General will bring. If this store goes in, I will no longer be comfortable with her driving my children to our house. If you lived in our subdivision I believe you would be very apprehensive of your daughter driving through all of the traffic that the store will create. If there was a separate entrance to the store other than Summerlake's ONLY entrance, it would not be a big deal. But from my conversations with Mr Jewell of the P&Z board, another entrance from US27 will not be allowed by the state of Kentucky.
Please consider this safety factor as if your own family resided in our subdivision, and please attend the meeting tomorrow night to voice your objection of this proposed store.
Thank you for your time,
And Schabell
I must also say, that with the exception of Ms. Weber and Ms. Hofstetter who have been very good about communication, I am very disappointed in the lack of response from all other members of city council and the Mayor to the emails that I have sent. I am hoping for a show of support from the council and the mayor at this meeting. We are expecting a large crowd and hopefully several news and media outlets. I have been in conversations with Mrs Tricia Macke from Fox 19 who said they will have a reporter present, and Chris Mayhew from the Alexandria Recorder who will be present as well.
Below is an email I sent to Chief Ward regarding the safety concerns at the store's proposed location.
Please help us keep our community safe and beautiful.
Thank you,
Andy Schabell
Hello Chief Ward, I spoke with you at the August coffee with the mayor meeting regarding the proposed Dolllar General store at the intersection of US27 and Summerlake Drive in Alexandria. From speaking with you I gathered that it is your duty as chief to investigate any potential traffic issues concerning all new buildings in Alexandria. I have not had the opportunity to speak with you since our initial meeting and I am curious what you found.
Ms. Hofstetter emailed myself and other concerned residents of the subdivision on Friday to let us know that the proposal for this store would be going in front of the Planning and Zoning board this Tuesday August 20th at 7pm.
We have passed out flyers and spoke with many residents of the subdivision regarding the proposed store. The overwhelming majority think that the store is going to present safety issues not only getting in and out of our subdivision, but also from increased traffic going past the store and "exploring" our subdivision. I know that the police department has in the past received calls from residents concerned about speeding in our subdivision. It is our position that increased traffic in and around our subdivision will lead to more instances of speeding.
My sister just started driving this year and attends Bishop Brossart High School with your daughter. She watches my children ages 10 and 4 after school 3 days a week while my wife and I are working. It is already hard enough for her to get in and out of our subdivision safely without the added traffic that a Dollar General will bring. If this store goes in, I will no longer be comfortable with her driving my children to our house. If you lived in our subdivision I believe you would be very apprehensive of your daughter driving through all of the traffic that the store will create. If there was a separate entrance to the store other than Summerlake's ONLY entrance, it would not be a big deal. But from my conversations with Mr Jewell of the P&Z board, another entrance from US27 will not be allowed by the state of Kentucky.
Please consider this safety factor as if your own family resided in our subdivision, and please attend the meeting tomorrow night to voice your objection of this proposed store.
Thank you for your time,
And Schabell
Email sent to CEO of Dollar General
The following was sent to Richard Dreiling, CEO of Dollar General, as well as VP of Store Development Steve Brimner, Monday September 19th.
Mr Dreiling, I just wanted to touch base quickly.
We were told late Friday afternoon that the final plans for the store to be located at the front of Summerlake will be submitted tomorrow night, Tuesday September 20th at the Alexandria Planning and Zoning meeting. Several residents hit the streets this weekend with flyers and numerous signs have gone up throughout the subdivision announcing the meeting and asking for attendance. Overwhelmingly the residents of Summerlake have spoke out in opposition of your proposed store. The main objections are not about the store itself or what it may or may not look like. No, the main objection raised was that the store will share the ONLY entrance into our subdivision as it's only entrance. The residents, many of whom have very young children, are very concerned over the increased traffic in and out of our subdivision. There are also many residents with teenagers who are just beginning to drive, or will get their driver's license in the next couple of years. They are concerned about the increased risk their children will face getting in and out of our subdivision. Our blog about the store, http://
I am asking you today to please stop and think about our children's safety and consider another location for the store.
Alexandria, KY is a growing community and we believe that a store such as this could do well if located at the right property. There are numerous commercial properties located within 1/2 mile of this proposed store. Two of those lots are located directly across US 27 next to an already well established farm equipment store. The other sites located directly across the street also have 2 ways to access and exit the store, as well as having access to a stop light, and within walking distance of the Campbell County High School. No doubt the students of Campbell County High School would find a store by their school very convenient and be big supporters of the store. In addition to the students the people of Summerlake would be able to access the store easily. The store would also be located on the side of the road that is traveling south, which is the direction most commuters coming home from work will be traveling. If it is located where it is proposed, drivers on their way home would have to cross a 4 lane road twice without the aid of a stoplight just to get in and out of the store. If it is put across the street it will be VERY easy for southbound drivers on their way home from jobs in Cincinnati to get in and out (just like the Dollar General store located about 3 miles down the road) I can guarantee you that if you call your store manager of the store located 3 miles south of this proposed location they would tell you without a doubt much of it's success comes from them being on the southbound side of the road.
Mr Brimner has been outstanding to speak with during this process, and Michael the district manager has been very helpful as well. The stores featured in my original email to you on August 21 have. for the most part, been taken care of and members of the communities located near those stores are very grateful.
Please reconsider this store and it's location. I would be more than happy to discuss any questions you might have. You can reach me at volffas@gmail.com
I appreciate your time,
Andy Schabell
Mr Dreiling, I just wanted to touch base quickly.
We were told late Friday afternoon that the final plans for the store to be located at the front of Summerlake will be submitted tomorrow night, Tuesday September 20th at the Alexandria Planning and Zoning meeting. Several residents hit the streets this weekend with flyers and numerous signs have gone up throughout the subdivision announcing the meeting and asking for attendance. Overwhelmingly the residents of Summerlake have spoke out in opposition of your proposed store. The main objections are not about the store itself or what it may or may not look like. No, the main objection raised was that the store will share the ONLY entrance into our subdivision as it's only entrance. The residents, many of whom have very young children, are very concerned over the increased traffic in and out of our subdivision. There are also many residents with teenagers who are just beginning to drive, or will get their driver's license in the next couple of years. They are concerned about the increased risk their children will face getting in and out of our subdivision. Our blog about the store, http://
I am asking you today to please stop and think about our children's safety and consider another location for the store.
Alexandria, KY is a growing community and we believe that a store such as this could do well if located at the right property. There are numerous commercial properties located within 1/2 mile of this proposed store. Two of those lots are located directly across US 27 next to an already well established farm equipment store. The other sites located directly across the street also have 2 ways to access and exit the store, as well as having access to a stop light, and within walking distance of the Campbell County High School. No doubt the students of Campbell County High School would find a store by their school very convenient and be big supporters of the store. In addition to the students the people of Summerlake would be able to access the store easily. The store would also be located on the side of the road that is traveling south, which is the direction most commuters coming home from work will be traveling. If it is located where it is proposed, drivers on their way home would have to cross a 4 lane road twice without the aid of a stoplight just to get in and out of the store. If it is put across the street it will be VERY easy for southbound drivers on their way home from jobs in Cincinnati to get in and out (just like the Dollar General store located about 3 miles down the road) I can guarantee you that if you call your store manager of the store located 3 miles south of this proposed location they would tell you without a doubt much of it's success comes from them being on the southbound side of the road.
Mr Brimner has been outstanding to speak with during this process, and Michael the district manager has been very helpful as well. The stores featured in my original email to you on August 21 have. for the most part, been taken care of and members of the communities located near those stores are very grateful.
Please reconsider this store and it's location. I would be more than happy to discuss any questions you might have. You can reach me at volffas@gmail.com
I appreciate your time,
Andy Schabell
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