Parke County Commissioners approve rezone for Dollar General Market store

Commissioners Jim Meece and Bruce Hartman voted in favor of the measure, while Dan R. Collum was the lone no vote.

A proposed DG Market store that has been a point of contention and meetings for several months moved one step closer to becoming a reality Monday night as the Parke County Commissioners voted 2-1 in favor of moving forward with a rezone request from Overland Group, which is looking to bring the DG Market to Parke County.

Commissioners Jim Meece and Bruce Hartman voted in favor of the measure, while Dan R. Collum was the lone no vote. In explaining his vote, Meece said it has long been his opinion that boards exist for a reason. 

"It is my viewpoint that if this was a 4-3 decision by the board of zoning appeals, and they were split, my recommendation would be to postpone it or table it. My way of thinking in all my years of public service is we have boards that do jobs and when a board comes to us with a pretty clear decision, I would be reluctant to overrule them. If I am going to overrule them, why do we have that board to begin with? My personal perspective is you all presented your views to those people on that board who make those decisions and there's not a real close vote to choose between. That's where I am," Meece said, adding he knows people are going to be "upset" with the decision. 

Hartman said he was curious as to why the board voted the way it did. County Council at-large member J.B. Butler, who is also on the board of zoning appeals, said the grocery store aspect of the store is why he voted the way he did. 

"If it had been another Dollar General, well we don't need another one. It is the grocery store. I understand Brad's point. That is their land, that is sacred ground to them, and that's fine. But, you can't control and where do you quit? There are four other DG's in the county that pay almost $30,000 in property taxes. They hire anywhere from 24 to 32 jobs. This one, I think, is going to be bigger, and their tax base is going to be bigger. We have run businesses out of here for so many years and we have to keep it pristine for tourists. I get all that, but that tourist doesn't add to the tax base. We need the tax base. It's not a corporation. It is an independent franchisee. We had no problem with it at all," Butler said. 

Commissioner Collom is also on the board of zoning appeals and voted no during that meeting, citing safety concerns. 

"I was a no vote. I am not against Dollar General, but that's one of the last areas I would put a business. I can see a boat and truck getting stuck out there. I wanted to see an egress and ingress there," Collum said. 

The vote, however, didn't come without several pleas from representatives of both the attorney representing the entity that franchises Dollar General stores and a representative from the Miami Nation of Indiana. 

According to Tyler Ochs, an attorney with Bose McKinney & Evans, the property in question is located on Highway 36 across from the Miami Nation of Indiana, and the Overland Group is seeking a rezone of it from agriculture to commercial business. 

"This was filed back in December and was supposed to be heard in February but no quorum was able to be had, so it was finally heard about a week and a half ago on March 27 by the Planning Commission. That received a 6-1 vote in favor, recommending approval by the Commissioners," Ochs said. 

Ochs said the property is 1.96 acres that will be subdivided from a larger parcel and the Overland Group franchises Dollar General stores. 

"It is on the very eastern part of the county and will not be a standard Dollar General. This is a DG Market and it is more of a grocery store than a convenience store. It will offer deli meats, a fresh produce selection, a larger freezer selection, things of that nature that make it more like a Kroger than a CVS. It is not a normal Dollar General," Ochs continued. 

Ochs said the store would have a more "modern, pleasing" look and his client already has gotten approval on various permits and has taken a look at traffic concerns, as well as a second entrance. 

"We've requested a second access to a second entrance, but it is out of our hands as to whether we can get that granted or not. There will be a 70 foot in length and a four foot wide shoulder that will be added to the northern part of US 36," Ochs said. 

By bringing the store, Ochs said the building will help bridge gaps in what he called a "food desert."

"The area is somewhat of a food desert, particularly for the extensive options we talked about. The nearest Kroger is 20 something minutes away. There is nothing in the area that will offer what this DG Market will offer. It is a needed service for that area," Ochs said, adding his client is not asking for tax incentives and does not want to infringe on established downtown businesses. 

Brad Buchanan, a representative of the Miami Nation of Indians, has been an outspoken opponent of the DG Market, and voiced his concerns again Monday. 

"We have already spoken our position on how we think it would impact us culturally. The land was originally given to us by Stan Calvert and he wanted the land to be natural. He wanted us to be great stewards of that land, keep it natural and keep it undeveloped. We are opposed to the development of the land. At the end of the day, we want to see wise development being made," Buchanan said. 

Ochs said he is completely aware of the objection by the Miami Nation. 

"We are also aware there is also concern from the Miami Nation of Indians. We want to be extremely respectful of them as neighbors. We understand this land was gifted to them and we are excited they are flourishing, and, hopefully, will continue to do well. 

One concern the Miami Nation had was light pollution and Ochs said little to no light pollution will leave the plot of land the DG Market will be on.