Staying with the story
The Springfield News-Sun first broke the news about a Kroger Marketplace store in Springfield Twp. in April and has continued to dig into the development, including stories about how many jobs could come with the store and some concerns it could leave one neighborhood without a grocery store within walking distance.
By the numbers
$20 million: Estimated total investment for proposed Kroger Marketplace store on Ohio 72.
123,000: Estimated square footage at the new store.
350: Estimated number of employees at Kroger.
The proposed $20 million Kroger Marketplace shopping center on Ohio 72 is closer to becoming a reality, but local residents have concerns about traffic congestion in the area.
>>DETAILS: Proposed $20M Kroger Marketplace would employ 350 in Springfield
The Central CEDA Regional Planning Commission on Tuesday afternoon recommended approval of the rezoning of more than 28 acres of property at 2630 Springfield-Jamestown Road for the proposed shopping center in Springfield Twp.
>>MORE COVERAGE: Residents line up on both sides of Kroger debate
The board voted 3-1 in favor of the development. Charlene Roberge, Kathryn Lewis-Campbell and Theresa Hartley voted in favor of the rezoning. Dan Kelly voted against it, and Michael Spradlin abstained because he previously lived in the neighborhood.
>>RELATED:Kroger protesters cite lack of south side Springfield grocery stores
The meeting was held at the Springview Government Center, 3130 E. Main St., in front of about 30 people. It was originally scheduled last week, but the commission didn’t have enough members for a quorum.
Kelly expressed concerns about busing to the new location and the fate of the current location on South Limestone Street, which would be closed if the new location is built.
“I could see that being a problem,” Kelly said.
Plans submitted for the proposed 123,000-square-foot Kroger store say it could employ up to 350 people and include the county’s first Starbucks.
The CEDA board reviews applications for rezoning requests and forwards its recommendation to the respective zoning commission.
The board did not allow public comments during the meeting because it was a public meeting and not a public hearing, Chair Michael Hanlon said.
The public should have had a chance to speak about the development, Springfield Twp. resident Ruth Lawson said.
“I thought it was kind of a waste of time to sit here and listen to talking heads who made decisions based on the papers they had and no input from the community,” Lawson said. “Apparently, the meeting was not about input from the community.”
A public hearing will be held by the Springfield City Commission, which holds final approval of the project. It will likely be scheduled in late September, Springfield Deputy City Manager Bryan Heck said.
Kroger Marketplace stores are often much larger and include a wider selection than the traditional grocery stories, such as clothing, furniture and home goods. Initial plans also show the development will have a pharmacy with drive-through, cafe, Little Clinic health care center, bank with drive-through and a 20,000-square-foot Kroger Fuel Center.
The grocery has an option to purchase property for the development, which is currently being annexed into the city. The annexation was approved by county commissioners last month and is also expected to come before city commissioners in September.
A petition with more than 100 signatures was handed to board members before the meeting, which includes several concerns about the development including traffic and emergency services.
A traffic study being performed by Kroger was recently expanded to include roadways to the south, including the intersection at Possum Road, Heck said. The city has already begun working with the Springfield City Area Transit service to expand bus lines to the new Kroger store, he said.
The board also recommended the approval of rezoning of about 10 acres at 2531 Springfield-Jamestown Road from a business and residential zoning to a community commercial district. It voted 4-1 in favor of the rezoning of the property, which is currently being annexed into the city. Spradlin voted against the rezoning.
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