Tom Franzen, Springfield’s economic development administrator, said he’s excited to see a store with groceries open in the neighborhood.
In the past, locally-owned grocery stores were mainstays in smaller neighborhoods, but many businesses closed after the emergence of larger stores like Wal-Mart, Kroger and Meijer. Family Dollar has targeted neighborhoods that no longer have grocery stores nearby, like the Selma Road area.
“They’re seeing those opportunities in small neighborhoods again,” Franzen said.
Josh Braverman, spokesman for Family Dollar, said the store will bring about 10 new jobs to the area.
“We want to get operational as quickly as we can,” Braverman said.
Members of the Selma Road Neighborhood Action Program are excited to have a grocery store located in the heart of their neighborhood.
Teresa Mills, the president of SNAP, said neighbors won’t have to drive as far to purchase groceries and other items.
“There’s nothing over here,” Mills said. “We’ve got a long ways to go to get groceries or anything else. I think it’s a good idea.”
Mills, who lives on Scott Street, said she usually drives to Kroger or Wal-Mart on the east end of town or the Dollar General on Sunset Avenue to purchase groceries.
“It’ll be a much shorter distance for me,” Mills said.
Ruth Stone, one of the founding members of SNAP, said she drives to the Kroger on South Limestone Street to get groceries. The new Family Dollar will help her save gas money.
“I think it’s going to be great because it’ll have some things Kroger won’t sell,” Stone said.
Family Dollar’s Selma Road location will be its 10th in Clark and Champaign counties and the seventh in the city of Springfield. The other three stores are located in New Carlisle, St. Paris and Mechanicsburg.
“We’re excited to bring another store to Ohio,” Braverman said. “It’s a huge market for us. We’re appreciative of all the folks who’ve supported us in Springfield.”
The City Commission held an emergency public hearing March 27 at the request of The Hutton Co. for rezoning of the property from a residential district to a commercial district. Commissioners approved the proposed change.
The company hopes to close on the property by mid-April. The developer has already submitted building plans and is working toward permits, according to Bryan Heck, the city’s planning and zoning administrator.
“We’re ready to go,” said Hutton Co. Development Project Manager Ben Carroll. “We’re hoping to start construction within a month.”
The Hutton Company will own the building and lease it to Family Dollar when it’s ready.
“They figure out where they want to be, and we find a spot and build for them,” Carroll said.
City Commissioners sold 1.2 acres at the old city garage, 1000 East St., for $100,000 to the Hutton Co. last August.
“(Family Dollar) obviously likes to build in residential areas with lots of homes, and this was a good place for that,” Carroll said.
The entire site is 3.8 acres and had been vacant since 2006. Franzen said there are no plans for the rest of the lot at the old city garage at this time, although it could be for sale once the Family Dollar is completed.
“There’s nothing in mind right now,” Franzen said. “We’ll be sensitive to the neighbors there ... Anything that does go there will have to be heavily screened.”
Family Dollar employs 45,000 people in 6,800 stores in 44 states. In the fiscal year of 2010, the company had $7.9 billion in sales and reported $358 million in earnings.
The company has grown in recent years by increasing its selection of food products to compete with retail giants like Wal-Mart.
Family Dollar announced last week it will soon begin selling cigarettes at its locations.
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