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onthefence
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Posted: Dec 10th, 2005 03:26 pm |
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HAW RIVER ROAD / NC HIGHWAY 68
Big A** Gas Station.............
Neighbors:
Here are the facts…
There is a large 'proposed' convenience store and gas station on the agenda for the Stokesdale Town Council meeting next Thursday ~ Dec. 15, 2005 at 7:30 p.m. The meeting is held the third Thursday of each month in the Town Hall. The agenda for the meeting can be found at http://www.Stokesdale.org, but has not been posted as of today 12/10/05.
The site plan was presented at the Nov. 17th, meeting. The council decided to delay voting on the request to allow time for additional review, etc. This 'proposed' mart will house a gas station with the capability to fuel 20 cars at once, (with more waiting in line), contain a 25 seat fast food restaurant with drive thru service.
The 'proposed' building will be 4,800 square ft., with a gas canopy measuring 110' long and 20' wide. Entrances are proposed from Haw River Road, and Highway 68. Please note that this is an intersection with traffic currently coming from four (4) directions. NCDOT has NOT, as of December 5th issued, the driveway permits. The developer said these permits had already been taken care of at the last TC meeting (In November).
Stokesdale has a Long Range Land Use Plan that was adopted in 2001. Note that this document is a guideline, and was not adopted in it's entirety. The Scenic Corridor portion was rejected and never approved by the council. Guidelines are simply suggestions - - - - - while Ordinances are enforceable by law. To the point, we have no ordinance or regulations in place in Stokesdale that will allow this development to be controlled at this time.
We are in a CNSW - Nutrient Sensitive Watershed (not a protected watershed), and the classification was determined in 1983, and is the one that the State of North Carolina considers active. Guilford County is under Phase II Storm Water Runoff requirements, and a Soil and Erosion Permit will be required for this construction site since it disturbs land between one (1) and (5) acres. The Storm Water permit remains active during construction, but is no longer required after final approval of the developed site. This information comes from the North Carolina Division of Water Quality.
Guilford County - regarding the requirements for underground storage tanks. *Secondary Containment Requirements must be met. Simply put, this means double wall tanks and lines with sensors that are supposed to monitor for leaks and corrosion will be installed. The sites are inspected by a county employee once every three years.
There are no requirements to catch (Fuel Spills) surface runoff since we are not in a protected water shed. Our current Mayor (John Flynt) asked the developers to come to the next meeting prepared to tell us how they would handle a spill on site. It is also worth noting that lighting was mentioned..............the developer simply stated that if we are concerned about lighting that Stokesdale should have a lighting ordinance. They intend to follow only the guidelines that pertain to permits, etc., required by Guilford County and enforceable by law. Please note that Stokesdale has no current development ordinances in place pertaining to groundwater, surface runoff, or environmental protection in general. This is certainly an issue of public safety and should be important to anyone that has chosen Stokesdale as home.
My impression of these developers is their bad, uncaring attitude. Several times their words were to the effect of “If there’s no law forcing me to do the right thing, I won’t do it” They don't care the inevitable fuel spills will contaminate our water supply. They have twice lied. (said something untrue)
One, They said there was to be ten fueling spots. The plans call for TWENTY.
Two, They said DOT has approved their entrances. There is NO approved DOT permit
Do we wait for their third strike (lie) ?
The best that we can hope for is to show the town council that we are overwhelmingly opposed to this developer and their project. They have been reviewing the proposal, and we must show up to let our voices be heard at the next meeting. Please mark your calendar for December 15th, it's Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. I hope to see you all at the meeting. Please share this message with neighbors and concerned citizens. Lets protect our future!
Last edited on Dec 28th, 2005 01:53 pm by EditorPS
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bama80
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Posted: Dec 10th, 2005 08:53 pm |
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WOW. That would be weird having a big A- gas station there. Thanks for the info.
____________________
Roll Tide and Go Pack. Maybe or maybe not in that order. [insert profound quote here]
This post will self destruct in 10.......9......8....
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EditorPS
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Posted: Dec 11th, 2005 02:02 pm |
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onthefence wrote: . . . This 'proposed' mart will house a gas station with the capability to fuel 20 cars at once, (with more waiting in line) ...
Just wanted to clarify one point, which has been a major point of contention from the beginning. I want to point out that I know the developer did not dispute it at the last town council meeting (it seems he got worn down and when asked specifically, just didn't have the zip left to respond or dispute) ... at any rate, according to a written statement that I received on Friday from Bartee Washburn and Mark Atkins, partners of Carolina Improvements: "the convenience store only has 5 pumps with one hose on each side of the pump, therefore the absolute maximum number of vehicles that could be serviced at any one time would be 10 vehicles."
I know first-hand that a rumor started early on that there was going to be a Sheetz at this site, which brought up all kinds of images of massive metal, lights, and gas pumps. According to a representative of the Shields family, this was never the intention, and they felt they put in conditions to prevent this look and magnitude -- i.e., the builidng will be all brick veneer, has 52 trees, 24 of which are canopy trees, plus 175 shrubs. I have seen a sketch of the front view of the building and it doesn't look anything like a Sheetz.
As far as Bartee Washburn of Carolina Improvements, I think he did a terrible job of representing himself at the last meeting. I was there, and heard him say some of the things that you've posted -- to be honest, developers sometimes think these things (i.e., "I'll conform to the ordinances on the books but I'm not going to offer any additional concessions"), but are usually smart enough not to voice them aloud at public meetings. I think that's why you'll see Bartee represented by someone else at this Thursday's meeting.
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onthefence
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Posted: Dec 11th, 2005 05:29 pm |
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EditorPS wrote: onthefence wrote: . . . This 'proposed' mart will house a gas station with the capability to fuel 20 cars at once, (with more waiting in line) ...
Just wanted to clarify one point, which has been a major point of contention from the beginning. I want to point out that I know the developer did not dispute it at the last town council meeting (it seems he got worn down and when asked specifically, just didn't have the zip left to respond or dispute) ... at any rate, according to a written statement that I received on Friday from Bartee Washburn and Mark Atkins, partners of Carolina Improvements: "the convenience store only has 5 pumps with one hose on each side of the pump, therefore the absolute maximum number of vehicles that could be serviced at any one time would be 10 vehicles."
Dear EditorPS...
Although you may have a written statement from CI, The public record at two legally recognized public hearings (TC meeting and Planning board) will show 20 fueling spots.
The written statement is not binding. The public record is.
Would you be willing to post an image of the statement ?
Alternately, will CI introduce that written statement into the public record this Thursday at TC meeting?
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bama80
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Posted: Dec 27th, 2005 01:20 pm |
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| There is now a sign up there that says bethel commons I think. Maybe a whole strip or what? It says something about a 20 seat restaurant w/ a drive thru. Maybe the sign is not new and I am just unobservant. That is a weird spot for that kind of thing. Of course I'm sure one can say that about all development.
____________________
Roll Tide and Go Pack. Maybe or maybe not in that order. [insert profound quote here]
This post will self destruct in 10.......9......8....
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macca
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Posted: Dec 27th, 2005 01:37 pm |
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Bama,
The sign just went up last week. The site plan was just approved at the Dec. 15 Stokesdale Town Council meeting.... according to that, there will be a gas station/convenience store and some kind of drive thru restaurant. 5 acres total, but evidently a lot of that is for septic field...
Yeah, I think we should develop EVERY INCH of available green space -- NOT!
____________________
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. Herm Albright
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Steve Adkins
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Posted: Dec 27th, 2005 06:20 pm |
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Posted: Oct 16th, 2005 10:49 am
At the risk of being redundant, once the green space is gone, we can't get it back. Economic growth is one thing, but why pave over everything in order to offer jobs? (Part-time at that, in the case of FedEx.) There are other kinds of economic development that don't change the personality of the area. Harmony with what brought us here?
Macca.......you almost gave me a heart attack. Glad I read the last posting to the end......I still remember the answer you gave me above back in Oct. Thought you fell off the wagon.
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macca
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Posted: Dec 27th, 2005 06:24 pm |
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NOT A CHANCE! 
I guess your posting just proves that we need ot be careful what we post... people have good memories!
____________________
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. Herm Albright
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macca
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Posted: Dec 27th, 2005 07:19 pm |
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BTW, What about a nice boutique area, like Sadie's. She's proven there is a market for such in that area. That could be a quaint little area, instead of mega businesses. Some nice coffee shop/cafe, craft area with nice products by local artisans. We have some very talented folks in the area. This would "recycle" space that is already developed while bringing commerce to the area -- without destroying more green space!
There was also talk at one point of using the area that used to be the train tracks into a walking trail. Plant some trees, put in a few benches, maybe even picnic tables....
____________________
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. Herm Albright
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Cracker Jax
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Posted: Dec 27th, 2005 11:35 pm |
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onthefence wrote:
HAW RIVER ROAD / NC HIGHWAY 68
Big A** Gas Station.............
Can we say that? Goodness, I had no idea!
Thanks onthefence for being diligent and keeping us up to date! Last edited on Dec 28th, 2005 01:00 am by Cracker Jax
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Opinions in this post are mine. Do not copy, distribute, mass mail or quote out of context without my consent.
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bama80
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Posted: Dec 28th, 2005 03:14 pm |
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Yeah I read the story in the NWO last night finally. I remember onthefence talking about the gas station a while back but did not remember the details. In the story, the owner/developer ( a summerfield resident) said that his grandmother used to have a farm where that development is and now they do not want him to put anything there even though it has been zoned for it for some time now. He said he thought it was ironic that those opposing him were living on a developed piece of his land. I am sure people opposed this neighborhood back when it was being planned just like they are opposing the gas station. If things had worked out against the neighborhood, then they would not be living there.
I am not on either side of this issue. It does not affect me outright, and I do not feel strongly opposed or in favor enough to voice opinion.
____________________
Roll Tide and Go Pack. Maybe or maybe not in that order. [insert profound quote here]
This post will self destruct in 10.......9......8....
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zippitydoodah
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Posted: Jan 1st, 2006 01:15 pm |
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| Great ideas, macca. Of course, it would depend on how high the rents are and whether people would frequent those places enough to make them worthwhile to the business owner. After all, even at $3-4 a pop for those yummy lattes and cappucinos (is that spelled right?), it takes a lot of cups of coffee to pay a hefty monthly rent.
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zippitydoodah
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Posted: Jan 13th, 2006 01:19 am |
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| There is a sign up at this corner now. It says something about space for lease. Anybody know anything about that? Isn't it going to be a gas station?
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onthefence
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Posted: Jan 15th, 2006 12:21 am |
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zippitydoodah wrote: There is a sign up at this corner now. It says something about space for lease. Anybody know anything about that? Isn't it going to be a gas station?
The site plan as approved by TC includes a restaurant as well as a (10 We'll see? ) fueling spot gas station. The site plan also includes a drive though window.
I've heard the station is going to be branded as a BP. Sounds like it'll be a franchise, not an oil company owned station
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Revpast
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Posted: Jan 15th, 2006 01:19 am |
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The Shields family paid something like $35,000-$50,000 for this property a few years ago.
Once it was rezoned, it was sold for approximately $725,000.00.
Does that tell you anything about how politics works in Stokesdale?
If you don't believe the Rev, simply check the tax (stamps) record in the Guilford County Register of Deeds.
Last edited on Jan 15th, 2006 01:20 am by Revpast
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