Design review board tables Dairy Queen gas-station redevelopment after circulation and site-fit concerns

Architect Jim Presuto of 4 Points Architectural Services presented a plan to convert the existing Rite Aid site at the corner of South Main and Turkey Foot into a gas station and convenience store with future tenant space and a limited drive-up window. The applicant said the phase-1 building footprint would be about 900 square feet on a roughly 1.447-acre site and the design proposes 42 parking spaces (24 front, 18 rear) and six stacking spaces for prepackaged pickup.

Presuto summarized auto-turn studies showing tanker-truck access and said the site would remain under the 75% impermeable cover threshold through underground detention. He noted signage area will meet code and that canopy posts will have brick bases to tie into the building.

Board members raised repeated concerns about circulation and functionality on the constrained site. One member said a tanker unloading could render several pumps unusable and "it's gonna cause chaos," arguing that the design was trying to fit too much onto the parcel. Others suggested removing part of the existing building or reconfiguring the footprint to improve circulation; the applicant said owners preferred minimal demolition and to retain as much of the existing building as practical.

Given those unresolved circulation and operational issues, the applicant told the board that the owner preferred to table the application to the next month's design review meeting if the board would not accept it as submitted. A motion to table carried on roll call and the item was postponed to the next meeting so the applicant can consult owners and provide revisions.