GREENSBORO, N.C. — UPDATE June 28, 2019: We received a call from the general contractor, Bob Bentley from Burr-Brantley Enterprises. He says because of the property's zoning district and the City's 'Use-By-Right' provision, neither he nor the property owner approached the community. Brantley says the owner is making a $3 million investment in this gas station/convenience store.
He tells us it will actually be a 10-pump Exxon station with a Han-Dee Hugo's convenience store, but will not include a car wash. He says he is confident the building will have an attractive exterior and interior and will have minimal illumination and glare impacts to the neighborhood. Brantley expects the product to be finished by February 2020.
People living in the Green Crest neighborhood in Greensboro are complaining about an unwelcome guest: a Han-Dee Hugo's convenience store under construction at their neighborhood's entrance.
The project has been in the works since last year, but neighbors say they didn't know about it and don't want it.
When Ryanne Whitley and her family moved to Greencrest over a year ago, she says she enjoyed the neighborhood because it was safe and quiet
"I fell in love with it, I fell in love with the neighborhood, I fell in love with those trees right behind me as they're falling," she said.
Just last week, crews delivered several heavy lifters and that's how Greencrest learned there'd be more. A 10-pump BP station complete with a Han-Dee Hugo's convenience store and car wash would be placed right at the neighborhood's entrance.
"We don't want this nuisance in our neighborhood," Whitley said.
The City's zoning map shows Greencrest as a PUD, or Planned Unit Development, according to Steve Galanti with the City's Planning division.
The lot at 321 Apple Ridge Road, which is technically located inside the neighborhood, has portions with two zoning districts - one is zoned Planned Unit Development (PUD) and a portion is zoned Commercial – Medium (C-M).
That means both commercial and residential construction is fair game.
"The districts encourage innovation by allowing flexibility in permitted use, design, and layout requirements in accordance with a Unified Development Plan. This should provide benefits by providing opportunities for employment and services closer to residences," Galanti shared in an email.
Currently, there are no provisions in the Land Development Ordinance that require the City to notify residents when a plan is being reviewed or approved by the Technical Review Committee.
But Whitley and her neighbors think they should've had a say in the project and whether or not they were on board.
"This is something that's going to be a nuisance in our neighborhood, not just the building noise now, the traffic that's going to come in," Whitley said. "And gas stations are prone to incidents of crime."
City councilmembers met with the neighborhood's homeowners' association last night. Off camera, Councilwoman Sharon Hightower told WFMY she believes the property owner should've reached out to the community before starting the project.
We've reached out to the owner, but haven't heard back yet.
To find out what type of zoning district you may live in, click here.