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Council approves Kroger improvements, fuel station
By Chris Roark, croark@starlocalnews.com
Flower Mound residents will soon be able to go “Krogering” in an improved store.
The Flower Mound Town Council on Monday approved a site plan for $14.3 million in store improvements and a specific use permit (SUP) for a fueling center at the store located near the intersection of FM 1171 and FM 2499.
This comes eight months after the council, which consisted of different members, had denied the same request because of concerns about traffic flow along FM 1171 because of the fueling center.
Kroger officials had said last year that not moving forward with the project would make it difficult for Flower Mound to get another chance at it.
Monday, council members expressed gratitude to Kroger representatives for bringing the project back.
“I’m sure Flower Mound has been on the lips of several people at the Kroger headquarters,” said Councilman Steve Dixon. “I hope that what Kroger takes away from this is that Flower Mound residents appreciate Kroger being here and its tenacity in coming back to us.”
Kroger’s Nate Collins outlined the plans for the store improvement. Among the many features are: a new natural foods department, a new bakery department, an expanded deli, a new cheese/olive island, an expanded fresh sushi department, a new upscale wine area, a new pharmacy with a drive through, a new express checkout area, wider aisles and more.
Collins said the improvements are expected to bring in 75-80 new jobs.
He also said the sales tax revenue the town will get should jump from $164,000 a year without the improvements to $332,000 a year with the improvements.
Collins also said the project will provide $542,000 in street improvements, as well as two electric car charging stations.
Kroger officials have said the fuel center helps support the improvements. But the fuel center had been a point of contention for the last few months.
The planning and zoning commission voted to recommend the SUP and the site plan last month, which came months after it had denied the request, citing concerns about traffic flow near the fuel station.
As a result of last year‘s P&Z denial, the town council needed a supermajority vote in November to approve the requests, which did not happen. Al Filidoro and Steve Lyda voted against the motion for the SUP and the site plan, though they favored the store improvements. They, too, were concerned with traffic flow problems along FM 1171.
Following the town council election, in which Tom Hayden became mayor and Steve Dixon and Bryan Webb were elected to the council over Lyda and Filidoro, Kroger executives brought the plan back to the table.
This time, plans called for the fuel station to be moved back to address traffic flow concerns. Also, Kroger representatives agreed that fuel delivery would only take place during the non-peak traffic times of 7-9 a.m. and 4-7 p.m. The delivery truck will enter through the west driveway along FM 1171 and exit on the east driveway along FM 1171.
Collins said the construction on the project should begin this year, and it should be complete between nine and 12 months after construction begins.
There has also been talk about adding a fuel station and improving the Kroger on Flower Mound Road and Gerault Road.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
weirtalking wrote on Jul 17, 2012 12:57 PM:
" It's good to see the Council follow through on their campaign promises. However, it's also important to point out that the previous Council refused to vote for the fuel station because the request for the original location would cause traffic flow problems and a safety risk. Now that the plan calls for the station to be moved back from the street, the P&Z and Council have made the correct decision. Chances are, had Kroger agreed to the concerns for safety in the first place, it never would have been a campaign issue. Other agreements concerning fuel delivery times, which could obstruct traffic, have been adjudicated. The final result is that we have an agreement that not only satisfies Kroger and its customers, but one that will make that corner safer and less traffic-jammed than it might have been with the original proposal. Although it became a political football during the campaign, the new Council deserves sincere praise for not allowing Kroger to dictate against the safety concerns of area residents. Ultimately, it worked out well for all concerned. "
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