January 10, 2018 Page 7A
Re] orter
e
e
F
By Will Davis
publisher@mymcr.net
Monroe County cleared
the way for Dollar
General to build a fourth
store in Monroe County
in the Rum Creek area of
Hwy. 87 despite warnings
from residents that it will
destroy the rural charac-
ter of the area.
Monroe County com-
missioners voted 4-1 to
re-zone a 3.55-acre tract
at the corner of Hwys. 87
and 18 from agricultural
to commercial. Property
owner Jonathan Carver
had requested the change
so he could sell the cor-
ner part of his 24-acre
property to Teramore
Development for the
Dollar General.
Only District 3 corn-
Commissioner John Ambrose
opposed rezoning for a Dollar
General in Rum Creeek.
missioner John Ambrose,
whose district includes
the property, voted
against it. The four other
commissioners were not
swayed by impassioned
pleas nearby resi-
dents who said a Dollar
General will increase
crime and traffic and ruin
their areas rustic charm.
"I'm a free market,
property rights' guy," said
commission chairman
Greg Tapley. 'q hat's a
solid commercial location,
across from commercial
and he (Carver) has a
right to buy the prop-
erty and sell it (to Dollar
General)."
New commissioner
George Emami agreed.
''I've never shopped at
Dollar General my entire
life," said Emami. "And
rve looked around and
quite honestly I can't say
if I would want one right
next door to me. But the
challenge is here, that's
not the question. I don't
get the feeling the store
is going to increase crime,
and it won't blow traf-
fic counts through the
water."
The county's zoning
board had recommended
approval for a Dollar
General rezoning in July
despite opponents show-
ing up en masse with
objections. Dollar General
representatives aimed
to answer some of those
concerns before Tuesday's
vote, presenting evidence
of other Dollar General
stores in the area that
did not hurt an areas
property values after con-
struetion.
But v rflliam
Roquemore, who owns
the Rum Creek con-
venience store across
the street, said his own
daughter had considered
buying a home up Hwy.
87 from the store in
Juliette but backed out
because the home was
next to the new Dollar
General in Juliette.
Roquemore said he's
the fifth generation in
his family to live in the
Dames Ferry area and
wants it to remain a rec-
reational area for hunting
and fishing, not a com-
mercial area.
' Ib turn it into a
shopping area destroys
the community," said
Roquemore.
Roquemore said he
closed a pizza restaurant
that rented space from
him behind his store
because they wanted it to
become a late-night bar.
"It was making money
but it didn't fit what this
community needed,"
said Roquemore.
Hwy. 18 resident
Greg Elrod said that
Roquemore has been
a good neighbor in the
community but Dollar
General would not be
due to traffic problems.
"Hwy. 18 is the most
dangerous road in
Monroe County," said
Elrod. '%Ve're still
learning how to use the
roundabout and anymore
back up there will be a
nightmare. You're gonna
have an absolute mess
and a massive traffic
jam."
Christian Road resident
Jonathan Blankenship
added that crime will
increase as well.
"For whatever reason,
dollar stores get robbed,"
said Blankenship.
'WIonroe County is the
most desirable place to
live in Middle Georgia--
it's safe and has rising
property values. But
you'll be undermining
what makes our county
so desirable."
Kenneth
Whitehead of
Hwy. 87 said he
already has to
wait 15 minutes
to get out of his
driveway and a
Dollar General
will only make it
worse.
'"they tell you
how good it's
gonna look," said
Whitehead, '"out
they don't tell you
about the one in
Jeffersonville and
Byron where you have to
kick trash out of the way
so you can get in."
Hwy. 18 resident Phil
Welch noted that the
property owner, Jonathan
Carver, has said he
bought his property for
hunting purposes and
wondered how that fit
with plans for a store.
"Is he gonna hunt in the
Dollar General parking
lot?" asked Welch.
Bobby Thompson of Pea
Ridge Road went further,
asking if Carver bought
the property just to sell it
for a profit.
don't know what
his intentions are," said
Thompson.
But commissioners
pushed back at the
attacks on Carver.
"I keep hearing 'when
did he get here? Where's
he from?'," said Emami.
"But that has no bearing
on our decision. I haven't
made my decision yet.
But we're barely capable
of making it to our meet-
ings on time, so we prob-
ably shouldn't be diving
into someone's inner
heart to determine their
intentions."
Finally, Ambrose
motioned to reject the
rezoning request, saying
that after what happened
witha fast-growing car
lot on a commercial
property in Bohngbroke,
he's leery of allowing
more commercial zoning.
Dollar General presented this sketch to comissioners saying this is what the store in Rum Creek with look like.
After Ambrose's motion uses. That motion passed ' (ou said find some-
failed, commissioner 4-1, with only Ambrose thing that's on a state
Larry Evans motioned to opposed, road," said Emami. "And
approve the commercial Emami needled here the state is covering
zoning provided that the Ambrose for his oppo- that."
store be at least the qual- sition, noting he had But when it became
ity of the sketch of the also opposed a rezoningclear commissioners
brick building provided for a concrete plant onwould approve it, Elrod
by Dollar General, and Johnstonville Road in voiced his frustration
that the property come November saying that hethat the county always
back before commission- would support it if it was green lights things in
ers if it ever changes on a state highway, that area.
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