A 182,000-square foot retail center is planned at the southwest corner of Sheek and Worthsville roads in Greenwood. Provided by the city of Greenwood
Plans for a retail center at the southwest corner of Sheek and Worthsville roads in Greenwood progressed Monday night.
The Athwal Investment Group plans to construct an approximately 182,000-square-foot retail center south of the intersection, to the west of Light of Life Lutheran Church, on about 4.18 acres of land they bought from the church. While plans are still in the early stages, a conceptual plan shows the center consisting primarily of one-story spaces with a two-story space near the middle. The one-story occupants could be a restaurant, a grocery store and another retail space, while the two-story area could have a restaurant and other retail space on the first floor, with an office on the second floor, according to city documents.
Representatives of the developer came before the Greenwood Board of Zoning Appeals on Monday night to ask for a variance to increase the maximum allowed lot from 100,000 to 182,000 square feet. This was needed because under the land’s current zoning, commercial medium, the maximum lot size allowed is 100,000 square feet.
“If this goes through, the next step would be a primary plat to create the two new parcels,” said Donna Smithers of Northpointe Engineering & Surveying, representing the developer.
Light of Life Church sold the 4.18 acres of land to the west of the church to the developer, Smithers said. They will remain on the east side of the property.
The variance was approved by the BZA in a unanimous 5-0 vote.
More than a dozen nearby residents attend Monday’s BZA meeting, seeking to learn more about the project, ask questions and express concerns. Some of those concerns couldn’t be addressed by the BZA, as they lacked jurisdiction to hear and address them.
Bruce Ribben, whose property abuts the land, asked the board whether the land was ever considered a wetland by the city or the state. He said his home builder told them the city wanted it to be a wetland, which was the reason why there are trees, among other items, in the area. This was never confirmed to be accurate by the board.
Kathleen Rash, a board member for a nearby homeowners association, questioned whether the area needed more restaurants or traffic. She said, among other things, that she counted 25 restaurants within 2 miles of the Worthsville-Sheek intersection.
Rash also reached out to Greenwood Police about the number of car crashes at the roundabout in the last six months. There were 22, compared to eight at the Worthsville and Averitt roads roundabout, she said.
“So the number of accidents is concerning to us in that roundabout,” Rash said.
Board President Ken Knarzter reminded those in attendance that the board had no jurisdiction over what goes onto the property, as the variance only had to do with lot sizes. Rash acknowledged what Knartzer said, and opted to continue listing impacts she was concerned about since she prepared research ahead of the meeting, she said.
Gary Gresham, the president of a nearby HOA, said his association opposed the granting of the variance. He questioned whether its approval was worth the impact on the environment, adding more traffic, creating hazards on neighborhood streets and “destroying the peace and tranquility” neighbors had in the area.
Residents also asked when they could speak out more about what businesses would come in and other items outside of the BZA’s jurisdiction. Eventually, Mike Lyons, the president of the church selling the property to the developer, asked the board if they could explain more about the process and what the variance actually meant.
Regarding concerns about the existing greenery along the southwestern border of the property, Smithers told the crowd that a 40-foot buffer yard has to be maintained around this area of the parcel. It could expand as needed, and the developer has no plans to disturb the existing buffer, she said.
“Right now, with the way that we have the parcel set up with our client, is to not have; I mean, it could be, with the current zoning, split into two additional parcels,” Smithers said. “But the intent is to just have one overall development and one lot, with the church’s lot and development there.”
The concerns about traffic and other items will be addressed later in the process, she said.
Senior planner Kevin Tolloty said the variance before the BZA was just to determine the site of the lot the developer could have. Those who had concerns outside of this would have the opportunity to comment when the primary plat, or the legal subdivision, came before the city’s plan commission “several months from now” for approval. This would be publicly noticed in a similar fashion as the BZA hearing was, he said.
Knarzter later said something commercial would happen with the land regardless of whether the BZA approved the variance, asking Tolloty to confirm. He did, saying that if the BZA said no the developer make it into two separate lots with potentially even more dense commercial.
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