Dollar store building permit approved

PINEDALE – The Pinedale Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission conditionally approved a commercial building permit for a Family Dollar at its regular meeting Monday.

The dollar store is planned for the lot next to Napa Auto Parts, between Pine and Hoback streets and North Ashley and North Jackson avenues. The building will be 8,000 square feet, according to a permit filed on June 7.

The motion to approve the building permit was made contingent upon Town Engineer Eugene Ninnie approving the plans and the town council allowing the applicants to provide 32 off-street parking spaces rather than the 40 currently required by the town’s ordinance, which is in the process of being updated.

Seven on-street spaces will be available on Pine Street in front of the building, P&Z Administrator Kate Grimes said.

The Family Dollar will share a 30-foot-wide entrance with Napa Auto Parts through an easement. This easement would benefit both owners by opening up access from Pine Street and allowing Napa space near the side of the building to load and unload, Rio Verde representative Mike Jackson told the commission at the March meeting.

Jackson reported Monday the builders would keep the “existing trees” already on the property, which was a concern of some commission members in March.

The applicants also alleviated other concerns, Grimes reported. A landscaping infiltration basin is planned to collect water and push it to drainage infrastructure on Pine Street. The other issue was with sidewalk connectors to keep the area walkable for pedestrians, which are now part of the construction plans.

Also at the meeting:

• The commission discussed the draft ordinance again in the continued effort to overhaul the town’s parking regulations.

Some minor changes were discussed, including the necessary size of parking spaces in Pinedale and the necessity of providing American with Disabilities Act spaces and the role of the town in such an endeavor. Grimes will present an updated ordinance for further review at the next meeting.

• The next meeting is scheduled for July 2 at 6 p.m.