Over the next three weeks, members of the Cadiz-Trigg County Planning Commission have but one question for which they must find answers.
Should a portion of Jefferson Street, just north of its intersection with Cerulean Road, be shifted from R-2 residential, to I-1 light industrial — in hopes of a Dollar General potentially buying the property, and constructing a retail facility?
Tuesday evening at the Cadiz Renaissance Center, such a query was posited among officials in a public hearing — the pros and cons of it ping-ponged between interested parties and surrounding landowners.
The property, owned by Craig Fowler, is 1.822 acres with a shade over 79,000 usable square feet and retention pond on its “back 40” — a place, Fowler said, that served as a “family fishing hole.”
More accurately, it’s located on the west side of Jefferson Street and less than 80 yards from a once-beloved Wilson’s Market, and it is often passed by those bound for the Trigg County Recreation Complex, Adams Mill Road, Princeton and I-24, and it’s on the edge of city limits.
Serving as intermediary representation for Fowler and prospective purchaser Dollar General, Murray’s Greg Taylor noted that no matter what the land is zoned, currently what remains there is “a vacant lot” — one of little use to anyone.
Danny Powell, nearby resident, spoke very much in favor for its potential arrival.
Another nearby resident, a soon-to-be retiree in Leslie Allen, said she moved here two years ago — sinking her entire life’s savings into a property that could someday be 20 feet from a Dollar General parking lot.
That’s not a place she wants to be.
Melissa Sowell, representing the property of 1354 Jefferson Street, had a triad of concerns as well. How much will nearby residential property values decrease with Dollar General’s presumed arrival? How much will property taxes increase if this space were rezoned? And how unsafe would this strip of road become, especially serving as a frequent detour from I-24’s logjam?
Angela Herndon, a well-decorated regional planner from the Pennyrile Area Development District, returned to her career roots by providing an in-depth, comprehensive staff report on Fowler’s proposal — citing KRS, the City of Cadiz Comprehensive Plan and local zoning ordinances in a fact-finding portfolio.
Using digital maps and data-driven speculation, Herndon assessed that a Dollar General sized at 10,640 square feet would generate, give or take, 570 vehicle trips per day — a respectable increase in traffic for the area.
Herndon also described in her evaluation that a designation of “commercial,” rather than “light industrial,” might be more appropriate in this matter.
Spot zoning, Herndon added, might also be an option for Fowler, Dollar General, and the CTC Planning Commission, should it see fit.
Another major point made by Herndon was that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has full and relatively imminent plans to re-engineer and reconstruct the Cerulean Road/Jefferson Street intersection — which would, in theory, make this potential confluence of traffic much more palatable.
Currently, Trigg County has three Dollar General locations.
Following the hearing, the commission opted to reconvene for a later decision — in what will likely be a special-called open session set for 6 PM, February 16, following a notifying of the public via newspaper.
This gives the members time to parse the 15-page staff report even further, before bringing conclusion to the matter.
TUESDAY’S HEARING:
