Attorney says annexation, rezone would formalize convenience site's use; neighbor warns of lights, noise and crime

Joel Larkin, an attorney for the applicant, presented a request to annex and rezone about 2 acres at the northeast corner of Bill Carruth Parkway and Nemo Road and to approve a special‑use permit for a retail package store. Larkin said the existing convenience store occupies part of the building and that the owner seeks to consolidate two tax parcels, rezone to B‑2, and obtain a special‑use permit to operate a separate package store suite. He said the county assessed value for the property was about $1,300,000 and estimated that "the taxes in the city under the current millage, the first year would be in the $4,500 range," adding that sales and alcohol taxes would be additional revenue.

Larkin told council the site already has parking, curbing, detention and entrances in place and that the request is consistent with the comprehensive land‑use plan for the corridor. He noted the planning commission included a traffic‑study condition and said the applicant would address that during plan review. The applicant asked that council vote on the package‑store special‑use permit before final annexation and rezoning because, in the applicant's view, "if we can't do the package store, then it really doesn't make sense to do the other things."

Amandeep Singh, who identified himself as the convenience store representative, described current store hours as 24 hours and suggested package‑store hours in the neighborhood of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays with later weekend hours. He said the package store would occupy a separate suite with a separate entrance. "Package store, like, 9 to 9," he said when asked about typical hours.

Neighborhood opposition came from Chaz Collie, who said he lives directly behind the proposed site and described construction impacts: cleared trees that had acted as a light buffer, concrete left on property, extra trash appearing on his yard and late‑night noise from vehicles. "But being woke up at 03:00 in the morning, you know, it's just troublesome," Collie said. He argued that more package stores correlate with increased crime based on his experience in other neighborhoods and urged the council not to permit another package store in the area.

Council and staff asked clarifying questions about required separation distances from schools and the traffic‑study condition; the planning commission's conditions were noted in the public record. No final vote on the annexation, rezoning or special‑use permit was recorded in the work session transcript; the record shows the item presented, public comment taken, and follow‑up steps (traffic study, plan review) to be addressed before a final decision.