Council approves Pig rezoning, enters economic incentive agreement
The Piggly Wiggly has cleared a city rezoning approval that will allow it to come back to Crestline Village.
The City Council unanimously approved rezoning for a new Vine Street store at a specially called meeting on Dec. 16.
The project could start construction as early as February and will take about eight months to complete.
During that time, construction fencing will be placed on Vine Street so that no construction workers or vehicles enter through the street. Brasfield & Gorrie is the proposed contractor for the Piggly Wiggly.
The store will replace three existing buildings, the Scout House, Please Reply and the Early Learning Center, all of which are now zoned for commercial development following the meeting.
The approved plan reflects changes made based on resident input at public hearings.
A service entrance for truck deliveries was moved to the alley that runs parallel to Vine Street south of the store; previous plans called for the entrance to be directly on Vine Street. With this plan, trucks will only enter from Church Street instead of traveling on West Jackson.
At the meeting, Richard Caudle of Skipper Consulting explained updates in the traffic study since the last public hearing regarding the issue. Skipper originally suggested installing a light at the intersection of Church Street and Dexter Avenue based on traffic there but now said that the characteristics of the intersection are not conducive to its installation. A new report on truck routes from Church Street into store site also confirmed the feasibility of this movement.
Jeffrey Brewer of Goodwyn Mills and Cawood clarified that delivery tractor-trailers will be limited on the site.
Council member Billy Pritchard brought up other concerns of the Board of Education including a speed bump on Vine Street as well as a speed limit and a limit on delivery times during morning carpool time.
When the hearing was opened up for public comments, Michael Crump said he likes the project and sees no issues with it but recommended the council consider adding green space to the plan if it is feasible by putting a parking deck under the store. Kim Fasking said she was concerned with trucks crossing a proposed crosswalk and asked about the procedure for background checks on construction employees. In response, Council President Virginia Smith said there will be no deliveries after 10 a.m. or during carpool times and that there will be a parking attendant to assist with the matter.
Resident Susan Pitts asked about the access through the Regions parking lot and if the arrangement for the lease has been made, and Billy Pritchard said he does not believe there will be a problem with it because the city will purchase the parcel.
Economic incentive agreement
Also at Dec. 16 meeting, the council approved an economic incentive agreement with the developers following a public hearing regarding it.
According to its stipulations, the developer will convey two pieces of property to the city for $1.2 million after the developer makes improvements to them. These properties are a parking lot not currently owned by city and the “Pig Trail” that will act as the access point to the new store from Church Street.
The second provision splits sales taxes between the city and the developer at the beginning of the store’s life. For the first five years, the split would be 75 percent/25 percent, and after that the split would be 50/50. The total amount would be capped at $4 million.
The final provision is regarding ad valorem tax. If the store performs better than projected, it will have the opportunity to receive a portion of city’s ad valorem tax that could be around $26,000 depending on the property value assessment. The tax abatement provision would end after 15 years.
Previous Vine Street Pig coverage: