By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

The Clanton Planning Commission unanimously approved a request to rezone a portion of property at the intersection of Highway 22 and Gray Street to B-3 Business during a meeting on Sept. 11.

The request for rezoning was made by The Broadway Group, which plans to build a structure on the site and lease it to Dollar General. The Broadway Group plans to purchase the property once the rezoning is approved.

Before the rezoning can be official, it must be approved by the Clanton City Council. The City Council is expected to discuss the matter and hold a public hearing during the Oct. 8 meeting at 5 p.m.

Building inspector Gene Martin said the B-3 zoning limited the land use to “a business that is compatible with the existing residential in the area.”

Residents of the community expressed several concerns about the project, including increased traffic, the potential for robberies, speed limit near the proposed store, impact on property values and what The Broadway Group might do with the property if the DG lease ever expired.

Mayor Billy Joe Driver said the Alabama Department of Transportation would look at the speed limit to see if any changes needed to be made with the addition of the store, but a traffic light at the site was unlikely.

According to Alyssa Carter of The Broadway Group, ALDOT has already told the company a turn lane will not be needed, based on projected traffic during peak business hours.

“With this store, we are working with the city of Clanton to meet all zoning requirements, all needs for the civil plans, the architectural plans,” Carter said. “We are also working with ALDOT to make sure traffic safety concerns are met. We will be permitting through them, if we do widen Gray Street. Our driveway will come off of Gray Street, and the building will face Fourth Avenue.”

Carter said if the street is widened it would be using land from the property. This widening is proposed to accommodate tractor trailers making deliveries.

“A lot of times when you have an ALDOT highway, if the street that you turn in off of is wide enough for entering and exiting, usually it is approved without a deceleration road,” Martin said.

Carter said the lease with DG would be for at least 15 years.

A plan review will be held by the Planning Commission prior to approval of specific plans for the site. Martin said the project could not move forward without meeting all of the requirements.

B-3 Business zoning also restricts the hours of operation for a business. Martin said it could not be anything that opened really early or stayed open really late.

In addition to the increased tax revenue to the city, the store would also create jobs.

“This will bring about eight to 10 new jobs to the community,” Carter said.