Kroger fuel station again rejected

Findlay City Planning Commission on Thursday denied Kroger's plans to add a fuel station on the east side of its Sixth Street store. The vote was 5-0 against the plan. Commission members cited concerns about disruption to homeowners on Sixth and Seventh streets, as well as traffic hazards on Sixth Street. "Nobody really wants to live next to a gas station," said commission member Dan DeArment. "Neighborhoods are purposely designed to be low intense. It's just a relaxed atmosphere for living and to raising families. So, the extreme opposite of that is probably a gas station. It is the most intense use of a property when you look at the amount of traffic," he said. "With that comes noise and litter and potential environmental spills and fire hazards. Gas stations are just an extreme opposite of a neighborhood. It's probably the worst mix." Putting a gas station east of the store would reduce the neighbors' property values, DeArment said. Kroger had touted its willingness to erect an 8-foot-high barrier along the east and south sides of the property as a way to shield neighbors from a fuel station. Commission member Dan Clinger was not persuaded. "The fence doesn't screen anything, really," he said. Clinger made the motion to deny Kroger's request and Mayor Christina Muryn seconded the motion. "You're trying to fit a size 10 foot into a size 2 shoe, here," the mayor told Kroger's representatives. "I think that it just does not work for the neighborhood." "I always want to allow people to best utilize their property but … the primary focus is the integrity of the neighborhood," she said. "Unfortunately, this does not really work with the neighborhood. I still continue to have significant safety concerns." Kroger first proposed adding the fuel station a year ago. It then withdrew the plan in the middle of a meeting when it became clear that the commission was just moments away from rejecting it. Kroger returned last month with a revised plan containing some proposed changes to improve pedestrian safety. In the course of last month's meeting, further changes for pedestrian safety were suggested by a community member. Kroger expressed a willingness to include those changes. The grocer returned to the meeting Thursday with those changes in the plan. The mayor and each of the other commission members expressed appreciation for Kroger's willingness to make improvements. But none of those improvements addressed the problems for neighbors or the vehicular traffic hazards and congestion on Sixth Street. Wilin: 419-427-8413