Outdoor Ordinance/Dollar General DRB Meeting Tonight 9/5...
Last week several of us met with the developers of the Dollar General. They have agreed to make some minor modifications to the store. Mainly adding a 'beachy tower'. See the below picture.
We were told that the NWL access is a must for the store to go in... both for customers coming from the west so they do not have to U-turn to get there, but also for a delivery truck to access the store. This entrance/exit is a big concern of us in Grande Pointe in particular bc our roads can not handle more traffic and it also provides the shortest, legal way to Bay County. The developers were unwilling to decrease the size of the store to more of a neighborhood feel. If the store was smaller perhaps their delivery trucks would be able to serve the store without the NWL access.
This Thursday and next Thursday are two big meetings for the store.
The DRB is at 5pm this Thursday and the following Thursday (9/12) is the Planning Commission at the SoWal Annex. We need people to show up and speak. Last time we had just 4. We need many more than that. I am unsure when the store would go before the BOCC. I assume October if it passes DRB and PC.
If we can delay this store much longer it may do the deal in bc Dollar General has a 1st qtr deadline for this store to open by.
While this design is an improvement we still believe the store is too big for the location. It also does not enhance the surrounding neighborhood as required by the neighborhood-commercial plan. Plus, when just about everyone is in Inlet Beach does not want the store how can it be enhancing our neighborhood? This is a question that must be asked and an answer demanded from someone.
Tonight is also that tonight is also where the DRB tackles the outdoor merchandise issue again. This is something that Dollar General continues to do even though it is in violation of the ordinance. So, if you can find the time to go to the meeting tonight it will be kind of a 2-1 thing.
Our digital petition is just under 500 signatures. Please keep passing it around.
https://www.change.org/petitions/wa...rs-do-not-allow-dollar-general-in-inlet-beach
Thanks as always for your efforts.
Sincerely,
Chris