Dollar General zoning hearing in Butler Twp. set for May 19
May 10—The next zoning hearing about a Dollar General store proposed for Old Turnpike Road and Butler Drive in Butler Twp. is set for May 19 at 6 p.m.
Butler's zoning board will hold the hearing at the township's Community Center, 411 W. Butler Drive, which is large enough for a crowd that overflowed the last hearing on Jan. 19 at the township municipal building.
Since then, Dollar General asked the township to delay hearings and revised plans for the store, which would be at the southwest corner of the intersection.
New plans show traffic will enter and leave the store on Old Turnpike Road. Drawings show 31 parking spaces in front of the store facing Old Turnpike Road and 30 more spaces on a gravel lot just south of the entrance at an angle to Old Turnpike Road.
According to a legal notice, the store is challenging a decision of the township's zoning officer that the property requires a buffer zone.
Alternatively, the notice says, the store wants a dimensional variance for the buffer.
The applicant is DPP, a limited liability corporation established for Dollar General.
Neighbors and other township residents said the store will draw vehicles to an intersection where traffic already backs up during arrivals and dismissals at Drums Elementary/Middle School a half-mile south on Old Turnpike Road and where children and adults cross Butler Drive when walking between Freedom Park and Vesuvio's Pizzeria and Sports Bar.
Neighbors also said the risk of motor vehicle crashes, glare from parking lot lights, delivery truck noise and stormwater might make their homes less enjoyable and reduce the value of their properties.
Dollar General has said the store will employ six to 10 people and provide convenient shopping for township residents. The company also has a store 3.3 miles away on Route 309 in Butler Twp.
Contact the writer:
kjackson@standardspeaker
.com; 570-501-3587
