Albion ZBA approves variance for Dollar General parking

Photos by Tom Rivers: Trey Lewis, a development manager with the Broadway Group in Huntsville, Ala., speaks during a public hearing Tuesday about the company’s request for a variance for parking at a proposed new store in Albion. Behind him are members of the Albion Zoning Board of Appeals, from left: Jeannette Riley, Tony Wynn, Chairman Craig Tuohey and Trellis Pore.

ALBION – The Village of Albion Zoning Board of Appeals approved a variance for a proposed Dollar General that would allow the company to have fewer parking spaces require din the village code.

The Broadway Group wants to build a new 10,640-square-foot Dollar General across from the high school. The building would be required to have at least 53 parking spaces as a retail business.

Broadway is proposing to have 35, which the company said is more than enough parking and would also allow for more green space on the site.

The village code requires one parking spot for every 200 square feet of building space.

The ZBA held a public hearing about the variance request on Tuesday afternoon. Many of the speakers said they didn’t think a Dollar General across from the school was a good fit. They also questioned if there was enough room on the lot for tractor trailers to make deliveries and then turnaround without backing out onto Route 31.

Craig Tuohey, the ZBA chairman, said the Zoning Board of Appeals was only dealing with the variance request for parking. The Village Planning Board will consider the traffic flow issues and truck turnaround as part of the site plan.

Now that the variance has been approved, the Broadway Group can work on detailed drawings for the site plan. That plan could be before the Village Planning Board in October or November.

Fred Piano and his wife Annette live two houses from the proposed location for the Dollar General. They questioned if there is enough space on the lot for tractor trailers to safely turn in and out of the site. Mrs. Piano also said the 4 p.m. public hearing wasn’t an ideal time to have a meeting for public input.

She said the variance sets a precedent for other projects where developers could seek a reduction in parking.

Trey Lewis, a development manager for the Broadway Group, said the state Department of Transportation has approved similar size driveways for Dollar General stores in New York, including some that are smaller than the proposed 36-foot-wide driveway for the Albion store.

The company works with Fagan Engineers in Elmira on many of its New York projects. Brian Grose from Fagan was on the phone for the hearing and noted the DOT approval for similar Dollar General stores. He said the site is big enough to accommodate tractor trailers in turning around on site.

Lewis said there would typically be two deliveries a week to the store.

The Broadway Group wants to knock down this building at 327 East Ave. and build a new 10,640-square-foot Dollar General across from the high school.

Mike Neidert, the Albion highway superintendent and a resident of East Avenue, urged the Broadway Group to consider another site in the village, rather than across from the school.

“Although it’s zoned commercial, this is a more neighborhood setting,” he said. “It might be zoned for it, but I don’t think it’s a good fit for it. The location isn’t the best.”

He suggested the other end of the village where there already are many retail businesses.

Putting a store across from the school spreads out the business district, encroaching on homes, he said.

“We’re losing our village to businesses that have more money than we do,” he said.

He noted Crosby’s knocked down a house recently next to its store at the intersection of routes 98 and 31, saying it would be used to add parking.

Another East Avenue resident, Jan Erakare, also questioned whether the site for a new Dollar General was a good fit for the community. He said there are already similar-type stores in Albion, but at least those are farther away from the school campus.

“It’s very dangerous to put these in front of a school,” he said.

Jason Dragon, an East Avenue resident, said the Dollar General will introduce more traffic delays on an already busy stretch. Allowing the variance for reduced parking will stay with the site long term, and there could be a different use at the site in the future.

“You should stick to the codes because future uses may very well need those parking spaces,” he said.

Tuohey, the ZBA chairman, said the village’s requirement of one space every 200 square feet may be too onerous. He would like the village to evaluate that threshold as part of a review of its comprehensive plan.