On July 25 the Charlestown Planning Commission Denied Dollar General Application
Bonnie Van Slyke is a member of the Charlestown Town Council and also serves as the Town Council Liaison to the Planning Commission. Bonnie has provided informational updates on the public hearing process throughout Dollar General’s application before the Charlestown Planning Commission.
This post is to update those who may not have seen the recent local newspaper article about the Planning Commission’s decision at its July 25 meeting.
On July 25 the Charlestown Planning Commission did not approve the applicant’s Master Plan for a 7,500-square-foot Dollar Store proposed for Cross’ Mills. The vote to deny was unanimous.
At the meeting the Planning Commission heard testimony from the applicant’s traffic engineer regarding its traffic study, heard answers from the applicant to some questions, and heard comments from the public.
The decision followed a number of meetings by the Planning Commission where the Commission reviewed the plan under Development Plan Review and other sections of the Town’s ordinances dealing with the Traditional Village District and the Historical Village Overlay District. According to the Town Planner Jane Weidman, the standards are applied to all commercial buildings subject to review and are independent of the use.
The Planning Commission found that the Master Plan was inconsistent with several sections of Charlestown’s Comprehensive Plan and did not conform to the town’s zoning ordinances.
Because the applicant would also need to apply for a special use permit from the Zoning Board of Review for a building in excess of 5,000 square feet at this location, the Planning Commission voted to forward to the Zoning Board of Review a negative advisory. In the event the Zoning Board of Review were to approve the application for a building over 5,000 square feet on this lot, the Planning Commission advised that the approval be conditioned. The advisory included a list of conditions.
Banner image is a view of Planning Commission reviewing the Dollar General application at their July 25th meeting in the Charlestown Elementary School
August 8, 2018 @ 8:35 am
To SM -The decisions of the Planning Commission are public record and public hearings also recorded by stenographer and video and available through the town website through IQM2 under the meeting date, although sound is variable in quality due to the microphone setup. Contact the Town Hall for more information about accessing this information. Ordinances and regulations have changed through the years and some buildings are grandfathered having been built before changes or guidelines were instituted.
August 21, 2018 @ 9:55 am
There are new buildings that do not appear to follow current ordinances. Pat’s Power is a large, flat roof building. No historical New England building would ever have a flat roof. The liquor store and early learning center also do not conform.
It is understandable that older buildings do not follow current ordinances but ones that have recently been built or updated also do not. Another example of who know who in town.
August 6, 2018 @ 8:17 pm
This is good news indeed! I do however agree that we should not let our guard down. Continue to be a thorn in their side. Maybe, just maybe they will go away!
August 6, 2018 @ 12:46 pm
“The Planning Commission found that the Master Plan was inconsistent with several sections of Charlestown’s Comprehensive Plan and did not conform to the town’s zoning ordinances.”
Is there a report documenting these inconsistencies that the public can read? It is kind of a broad statement to make regarding some ordinances that are vaguely written. This is why we already have some buildings in the TVD that do not conform and leaves the door open to other businesses like Dollar General. The Comprehensive Plan and zoning ordinances need to be very specific.
August 6, 2018 @ 12:15 pm
The Dollar Store fight is not over. They will appeal. We need to stay engaged.
August 6, 2018 @ 11:12 am
Denial of the Dollar Store application is absolutely wonderful news!! Many thanks to all who worked toward preserving our beautiful Charlestown village culture. I am truly grateful.