Petition

To oppose the development and construction of a Dollar General store by the Overland Group of Birmingham, Alabama on parcel # 1712151013. This parcel is located on the 3.5-acre field directly south of residential homes on Lincoln Street, directly east of County Road P33 and directly north of an active railroad right of way.

The signed residents of Gowrie, Iowa strongly oppose construction at this specific location for several reasons. First, this area of town is entirely residential and has no current business’ and we feel it is not a good location to locate a business. Secondly, traffic along County Road is made up of primarily semi-trucks traveling to and from Poet Biorefining which is located 3 miles north of Gowrie, this semi-truck traffic would not be a targeted consumer for Dollar General and has severely altered the results of the traffic study that was conducted. In reality, between the railroad crossing and stop sign one block north, with the high volume of semi-truck traffic going to and from Poet, entering and exiting the property would be problematic. We also see the drastic difference between street level and the current level of the property as a major issue. The vast volume of dirt needed to bring the property up to grade is a big hindrance and will extremely impact the aesthetics of homes and properties adjacent to the proposed site. This proposed site is also very narrow, and we feel will be very difficult to locate a building and parking lot. Residents that live on Lincoln Street and County Road; as well as neighboring streets believe the construction of this store will negatively impact property values and create an unwanted eye sore that does not fit with the area of town. We also believe construction and dirt work will cause water management and drainage issues by causing excess runoff and impacting the ability of water to drain properly. A city sewer main, city storm and sanitary drains as well as county storm drains dissect this property. This has the very realistic potential to back up water in the basements of neighboring homes causing property loss and damage that otherwise would not occur. We are also concerned about the increased light pollution from security and parking lot lights, increase in possible litter from plastic store bags and cardboard boxes around the property, increased traffic and significantly decreased privacy levels. There are also concerns over maintenance of unused acreage that may be purchased.

As residents of Gowrie we strongly encourage The Overland Group to look at other potential sites in town; specifically, the vacant property located south of the county DOT shed on the east side of town. This property has more room for construction and is at a proper grade which would require less dirt work. It also has better visibility for vehicles on Highway 175 compared to the currently proposed location. The location on the east side of town is more industrial with a couple businesses already established there and is not surrounded by established residential neighborhoods.

We want to make it abundantly clear that we are NOT opposed to having Dollar General in Gowrie, but we ARE STRONGLY opposed to the current proposed location in which they want to build.

Property owner concerns with possible build site of Dollar General:

Possible Store Location: Parcel # 1712151013 directly south of residential home on Lincoln Street, directly east of county road P33 (Fairbanks Avenue), directly north of active railroad right of way.

1. Sewer main line is located directly behind residence at 1901 Lincoln Street. Sewer line runs slightly southeast to water treatment plant. Line crosses parcel of possible build site.
2. Legally, can anything be built over the sewer main? We do not believe it is legal.
3. City sanitary/storm tile(s) located in parcel of possible build site.
4. County sanitary/storm tile(s) located in parcel of possible build site.
5. Decreased property values of resident homes.
6. Decreased privacy. A privacy fence is not a relevant solution.
7. Amount of light pollution produced by store.
8. Amount of garbage, trash, produced by store.
9. Increased traffic with current amount of semi-trailers going to and from POET. With stop sign a block north of possible site, entering and exiting property will be problematic.
10. This area of town is ALL residential. Business here would be dysfunctional in a sense, out of sorts. Just doesn’t “fit” at this location.
11. Other locations are available and are outstanding options for builders.
12. Can it be rezoned to avoid possible building of store?
13. Specifically, what does the current zoning classification allow for this parcel? Is this type of business allowed?
14. Zoning needs to be updated to avoid future problems.
15. If parking lot and store were built but does not take the full 3+acres, how will remaining ground be maintained and who will be responsible to see that it gets done?

We are not against the store itself, just this particular location. The above parcel is not the only option for builders. They have been shown several other sights in the area that are better suited.