The developer of a proposed Publix grocery store in St. Elmo said it can only happen under a zoning change from the current UGC to C-2, but a majority of those at a packed meeting of the Community Association of Historic St. Elmo said they would like to see UGC retained.
A vote of those present at the former firehall on St. Elmo Avenue showed 34 for keeping UGC and 22 for letting Publix go ahead with a C-2 plan that was presented.
Mike Price, speaking for developer George Chase, said UGC won't work because it has a 12,000 square foot limit and Publix needs a 32,000-square-foot store at the site of the former Mt. Vernon restaurant at the foot of Lookout Mountain. Property owner Jeff Messenger, who long operated the landmark Mt. Vernon before it closed at the end of last year, was among those at the meeting.
Bert Kuykendall and Lindsey Willke argued that the current layout is "a lot of parking with a big box at the end." They want to see the buildings up close to the street and some added small retail.
Mr. Price said it would not work to pull the grocery any closer to Broad Street, saying it would push the planned rear loading dock into the middle of an area that would have to be used for parking.The site includes 162 parking spaces, which Mr. Price said is barely enough.
The current plan, which Mr. Price said is the 18th rendition, has pocket parks at Broad and St. Elmo Avenue by where the Riverwalk will be extended as well as at the other end of the site on Broad.
The grocery would face Lookout Mountain with parking in front.
Entrances would include one off Broad Street and two from St. Elmo Avenue. Trucks would enter from a rear street behind the grocery.
Residents said it would be dangerous for Riverwalk users to have to contend with two grocery entryways off St. Elmo Avenue.
Some in the crowd said they were thrilled to be getting a Publix and favored working with the developer to see if any further improvements can be made in the plan under the requested C-2.
One resident said, "We argue all the time about who goes to Food City. I'd go to Publix all day long." He added, "Be careful that you don't push them away. They could just say, 'See ya.' "
A woman from Lookout Mountain who said she is looking to move to St. Elmo said, "Many people are surprised that Publix even looked at St. Elmo. But they did."
Another said, "Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth. This is not just another grocery store. This is a fine grocery."
Still another stated, "I like it. I can tell a lot of planning went into it."
One resident said if the grocery is not allowed, the UGC site may wind up as 75 residential units in four-story buildings.
Developer Chase said city officials "told us they are not going to give us all the variances" that would be necessary under UGC. He said all efforts will be made to make it an attractive spot. "We want this grocery to be successful."
One citizen said moving to C-2 would take away much leverage on the part of the community for making the project the best it could be.
A St. Elmo resident said the site is too close to Food City and it may cause it to close and leave a large vacant spot. She also said it would cause increased traffic. She suggested that the grocery be moved further north on Broad Street.
Another said he came prepared to support the project, but said he was disappointed with the layout that was presented.
Mr. Price said traffic in the area is about the same as it was in 1998, according to TDOT figures. A resident said, however, a large grocery would swell the traffic numbers.
The St. Elmo neighborhood group set another meeting for June 4 at 7 p.m. to further discuss the issue.
The case goes before the Planning Commission on June 11 and arrives at the City Council in July.
An online petition had drawn 366 names by early Monday night opposing the requested rezoning for the Publix.
The petition says:
Just as a new vision for South Broad Street has been announced and acclaimed, a developer is putting that vision in jeopardy. Should the developer get his way, the quality of life in and around South Broad and St. Elmo will be at risk, the opportunities for economic growth in the area will be diminished, and potential tax revenues will go away forever.
The developer’s plan is to put in a store with a massive parking lot in front, just as they would in a strip mall in the suburbs. Doing that in an area that has strong potential to increase in value dramatically in coming years is short-sighted. Sprawl development provides 25% or less of the tax revenue that mixed-use development brings. We are not against having a Publix but rather the proposed style of Publix. A suburban-style Publix with a sprawling parking lot doesn’t belong on South Broad, but the more urban model that Publix has successfully followed in other cities does, like this one in Knoxville. Click on the slideshow below to see more details.
South Broad Rezoning Details
The final Riverwalk section is scheduled to run directly adjacent to this site and will connect the St. Elmo, Mountain View Court and the 100 @ South Broad neighborhoods to each other, to the South Broad mixed-use corridor, and to Downtown. The rezoning the developer has applied for will jeopardize the future of responsible development on South Broad—improvements that will have a positive impact on livability and on the tax base, that will promote walking and bicycling and a stronger sense of neighborhood. The rezoning would also set a precedent that could apply to the entire South Broad district. We do not want strip malls on South Broad. We do not want more fast food restaurants and gas stations. We want an attractive setting that will encourage new residential and mixed-use development and improve our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren.
Sign this petition to to ask our community leaders to reject the rezoning request and require the developer to build according to the adopted and established urban plans and zoning for this great urban street.
The petition is here.