Traverse City Record-Eagle

Opinion

January 30, 2012

Letters to the Editor: 01/30/2012

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Protect neighborhoods

The city is considering changing the zoning at Front and Division to accommodate another big-box store, doubling the size building it was originally zoned for. This is part of our neighborhood; the planning commission is allowing a CVS drugstore to be built on this corner.

From this intersection we have eight pharmacies within 1.5 miles: Petertyls (0.5) miles, Sixth Street Drugs (0.5 miles), Thompson's Pharmacy (0.7 miles), 14th Street Rite Aid (0.8 miles), West Bay Rite Aid (1 mile), Olesons (1.1 mile), and Meijer and Walgreen (l.5 miles).

Do we need another drugstore and more traffic?

This big-box store will adversely impact three small businesses within three blocks of this location: Westside Beverage, Tilley's and Maxbauer-After-Hours. It'll also negatively impact our local, family owned pharmacies downtown. Is this what we want for Traverse City?

Granted the corner is ugly; the city can be creative and pursue a business that fits within the zoning ordinance. If they double the zoning here, they'll double the size of the corporate "footprint" in other neighborhoods.

It's time to protect our neighborhoods and support smaller local businesses rather than big-box stores. Traverse City is in danger of becoming another Grand Rapids or "anywhere USA."

Donna Miller

Traverse City

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