One Stop on Washington promises to be a good neighbor

Aug. 11--After wrangling with local residents during the approvals process, a convenience store will soon open at the corner of Washington Street and Boulevard.

Residents fought the rezoning during a series of government meetings in 2012, but the developer was eventually granted approval to build a gas station and convenience store. The actions delayed owner Rick Singh's latest project, but construction on the newest One Stop Express is nearing completion. Singh hopes to have a grand opening at the end of September.

"Hopefully the zoning [issues] are in the past, and we can move on," Singh said. "We hope we can achieve the goal of giving them the best service we can, making them happy in any way we can help. We're trying to give them a one-stop place for all of their needs."

The land on which One Stop now sits was a residential area until Scott Pitcher bought it and razed the homes. In June of 2012, Pitcher asked the Kokomo Common Council to rezone the land from residential to neighborhood commercial, which the council passed by a 5-4 vote.

The following month, the council voted 5-3 in favor of vacating an adjacent alley, much to the chagrin of neighborhood residents.

That alley, which has been rerouted with sharp turns, makes it difficult for trash trucks and other heavy machinery to navigate.

"Those trash trucks came in off Washington Street in the past because they could make the turn," Buckeye Street resident Ralph Colter said. One Stop is directly behind his house. "The trucks that come in now have to come in off of Buckeye Street, which is so narrow, and those big trash trucks cannot make the turn. They go clear off into the alley four or five feet to make the turn and come down to get the trash. That's an issue, and I don't know what they're going to do to resolve that."

Residents continued the fight, and in August of 2012, the Board of Zoning Appeals voted 4-0 against the installation of gas pumps.

Pitcher then asked the Kokomo Plan Commission to rezone the property to C2, medium- to large-scale general commercial as a way to bypass the need for a special exemption from the BZA for gas pumps.

The following month, the plan commission voted unanimously to recommend the rezoning of the property, which opened the door for gas pumps to be installed.

Residents like Colter who showed up in droves to those meetings, still don't see the need for such a business in their neighborhood. There are currently five gas stations on Washington Street between Markland Avenue and Southway Boulevard.

Colter has lived in his current residence since 1988, and the neighborhood altogether since the 1940s. It's been his experience that businesses such as the One Stop don't last.

"I can show you where there's been 12 stations along that stretch that's gone out of business," Colter said. "Some of the buildings are completely gone. Some are being re-used as an insurance office, a financial advisor's office or a used car lot. Why do businesses go out of business? There's not enough need for them. So, why do we need one here?

"Personally, I wish it would disappear," Colter continued, adding the construction of the gas station has decreased his property value. "If it had been here when we moved in 26 years ago, I wouldn't have bought it. But, I don't know what we can do about it now."

Singh owns eight similar locations in Kokomo, acquiring the first, the Marathon station at Markland and Jay Street, in 2006. All of those entities are thriving, he said.

"We've had a great experience as a business in Kokomo," he added. "It's been really positive. Neighborhood-wise, everyone has been really supportive. We try to give customers the best service we can."

When Singh originally was looking in to the Washington and Boulevard site, the corporate gasoline franchiser, Mobil, liked the prospects of having a presence near an expanding Indiana University Kokomo. Singh also was drawn to the location because Highland Park is nearby and there's a Chrysler plant a few miles to the east on Boulevard.

Singh said the business will operate from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Singh plans to offer a food service with inside seating and free wireless Internet to appeal to the college crowd.

"And the traffic flow is pretty good," Singh said. "So, if the students want to come in and eat while studying, they'll be able to do that."

The traffic was one of the residents concerns. Without the convenience of the alley at their disposal, many One Stop neighbors now have to back out onto a busy corridor of Washington Street to leave their driveways. Residents say the inconvenience will only be exacerbated by the increased traffic flow associated with the One Stop business.

Artificial lighting could also affect sleep, they fear.

"A lot of times peoples' concerns with a gas station is that it brings a little bit of everything traffic-wise and the people that come with that," Singh said. "Lighting-wise, we're putting in LED lights outside, so they won't be bright when people are sleeping late at night. Those won't shine bright into anyone's windows. Plus, we are going to try to make sure it's calm and peaceful, and that there's no violence or crime. We'll try to do everything we can for the neighborhood so they don't have to deal with those issues."

Singh added his Kokomo businesses have never had a problem with violent crime. Residents like Colter aren't so sure, referencing past robberies and shootings at local convenience stores, including the Marathon station on Lincoln Road near Kokomo High School.

"Virtually every convenience store in Kokomo has been robbed," Colter said. "One person was killed at [another] store I know of, and that place went out of business. It's a common occurrence for places like this to be robbed, and we've never had any problems like that in this neighborhood."

Singh finds that problem to be isolated and amplified by the size of city he operates in.

"In a small town it's not that bad," Singh concluded. "In a big city with convenience stores, there's always something crazy going on and a lot of times people picture that it's going to happen everywhere. We're going to try to do our best to make it nice and peaceful, especially for the neighborhood, so their daily lives aren't altered or hurt by this."

Josh Sigler can be reached at 765-454-8580, by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @JSig_KT.

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