The Clinton County Board of Commissioners continues talks surrounding the proposal of a new Dollar General on the western limits of Mulberry with favorable outlooks on the development.
Dave Jones, Mulberry Council President, approached the commissioners on Tuesday, Oct. 17 to answer questions and discuss the potential developments of the Dollar General in lieu of the developers appearing at the meeting. Jordan Brewer, Commissioner President, stated that the commissioners were unable to formalize a decision on the Dollar General due to the need for the Clinton County Drainage Board to assess the area.
“At our last meeting that we had in September, the fellow commissioners had some questions and concerns about a potential Dollar General that got brought up,” Brewer said. “I’m on the Area Plan, and we had already had two meetings, and people from Mulberry had come and expressed their opinions, so I felt pretty comfortable with what was kind of being the recommendation.”
Jones expressed that he attended the meeting to answer questions and dispel conversations revolving around dissatisfaction with the development from members of the Mulberry council, and he claimed that the feedback has been positive within the Mulberry community in favor of the new store.
“There’s been some feedback that Mulberry does not want it, which is not the case,” Jones said. “At the last commissioner meeting, there was some discussion about there was some negative comments that they didn’t want this, and we hadn’t really got to that point yet, because I was at the Area Plan Commission meeting when they did approve it, but of course it has to go to the Drainage Board.”
Jones’ comments referenced comments made by Commissioner Bert Weaver at the Sept. 18 commissioner meeting where he stated that the new members of the Mulberry council were opposed to the implementation of the development and citizens contacted him to express their discontent.
“I’ve had several phone calls from people from Mulberry that are concerned about what’s going on,” Weaver said at the Sept. 18 meeting. “I honestly don’t know enough at this point in time to give them an answer one way or the other, but I can tell you that there are many people that are opposing it in the Town of Mulberry.”
Weaver clarified after the Oct. 17 meeting that the comments he heard were derived from one individual that claimed the new members were dissatisfied by the council continuing its decision for rezoning and development before the new members could express their voices. However, Weaver commented that the continued feedback he has received from residents of Mulberry has been positive.
“I’ve had more positive than negative that I’ve had reach out to me,” Weaver said. “I personally think it’s an excellent idea.”
Liz Stitzel, Area Plan Commission Director, commented in the Sept. 18 meeting that Mulberry held a meeting where the Dollar General was discussed, and approximately 150 residents attended. Stitzel stated that while the council heard discontent, most of the feedback was positive due to the idea that the residents would have a local option for shopping rather than being required to travel to Frankfort or Lafayette for groceries.
The proposed project would be constructed on the west side of Mulberry on the southern edge of State Road 38. The Dollar General is expected to be an estimated 12,000-square-foot market store with groceries, meat products, produce and more. The zoning area for the development would contain 2.4 acres.
The Area Plan Commission recommended a series of four commitments that were originally requested by the Town of Mulberry, and the commitments have reportedly been agreed upon by the developer and the landowners. The commitments require a privacy fence on the eastern edge of the property, an east-west sidewalk from West Street to the edge of the rezoned area, signage of a voluntary annexation waiver and requirements for the developer to build infrastructure across the new lot to reach Mulberry’s closest point of infrastructure.
Stitzel stated that the land was currently zoned as B-5, which would allow the area to be used for warehouses, large grain-handling operations, auction barns and more. Stitzel reassured the commissioners that the land is not agriculture or residential zoned land. According to Stitzel, the developer and Mulberry are seeking to rezone the area rather than apply for a special exception with the Board of Zoning Appeals to avoid returning to the board for minor alterations for approval. Stitzel commented that utilizing the county as a mid-point of the development allowed for increased oversight and perfections to be made compared to instances where the land is annexed first by the town before rezoning, which occurred with the Dollar General in Michigantown.
The development will be presented to the Drainage Board for consideration before returning to the commissioners for further assessment. The Area Plan Commission filed a favorable recommendation on Sept. 5, setting a 90-day clock for a decision to be made before it returns to the commission.