Walgreens gets green light
Waynesboro City Council approves zoning change, but plans must pass HPC
By Elizabeth Billips Associate Editor

Walgreens is one step closer to locating on South Liberty Street.

Monday night, Waynesboro City Council approved a zoning change in the historic dis- trict with a 4-1 vote.

Walgreens' final test will come Thursday night when the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) has its say.

In a five-day span, officials from United Retail Development Company appeared before both the planning commission and city council seeking a zoning change for one of two lots they intend to purchase.

Although their original request was for a residential-tocommercial zoning change for an entire .669-acre wooded tract across from Burke Medical Center, city council opted for what Mayor Jesse Stone called the "least amount of change approach."

According to plans on file at city hall, company officials want to build the 14,490-square foot store on a 1.47-acre commercially zoned lot which currently houses Janice Morris Realty, James' Bait and Tackle and South Liberty Garden Center..

While Walgreens doesn't necessarily need the adjoining .669- acre lot to locate here, spokesperson Russel Rankenburg said it would allow them to construct a commercial driveway aligned with the Fourth Street red light.

"We're buying a very expensive piece of property just to be able to get a traffic signal," he told commissioners at the planning board meeting. "We have no intent to redevelop it, but we'd like to keep the option open."

It was that option that seemed to frighten some Waynesboro residents who showed up at both meetings to air concerns over traffic problems and commercial encroachment.

Most said they liked the idea of a Walgreens, just not on the edge of the historic district.

"We're trying very hard to preserve something we've worked very hard at … and once that zoning change goes through, you've opened the door for other commercial ventures," homeowner Kaye Weathers said. "I feel like there's a way Walgreens can be happy and we can be happy on Liberty Street - and that is finding another location."

Other historic homeowners came out to support the project, including Rex Gerlinger who said "worse things" could be developed on the commercial lot.

"These guys seem to be bending over backwards to please everyone," he said. "They're willing to buy a $150,000 lot just to watch the grass grow … I welcome them here."

After nearly an hour of discussion, city council voted on what they hoped was a balance between historic preservation and progress.

Rather than rezoning the entire lot commercial, they asked company officials to replat the tract and carve out a portion to be used for the driveway.

They approved a commercial zoning change for that portion, contingent on the approval of the new plat.

The remainder of the lot would remain residential and could be resold as such.

City council members will also require an 8-foot buffer on the north side of the driveway, in addition to a privacy fence.

"We want zero-visibility (from the residential area)," Mayor Stone said.

The movement was approved 4-1 with Dick Byne opposing and Curtis Bell absent.

Company officials will appear before the HPC at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 19, to ask permission to remove the existing buildings on the commercial lot and to construct the new store.

The Morris family has indicated that the historic structure on the property would be moved rather than torn down.