READ MORE: Neighbors concerned by Clark County re-zoning, development plan
Clark County commissioners will discuss the rezoning application at their meeting on Wednesady, Jan. 25.
“I don’t think anybody in this community wants it,” said William Tavenner, a longtime resident and former business owner near the proposed location.
The intersection is accident prone, he said, and more traffic would increase problems.
“I’ve seen people killed out on that intersection,” he said. “We’ve had family members have automobile accidents right there.”
But property owner Donald Castle says the facility will have a minimal impact on traffic.
“People store their stuff and they leave it, and they go about their business,” Castle said. “So it’s not like a parking lot where people are constantly coming in and out.”
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Tavenner’s son, Tom Tavenner, started an online petition against the project. It had received 82 signatures as of Monday evening.
The Tavenners also worry about runoff from the property that sits at the top of a hill. It could potentially harm residents who live at the bottom of the hill, William Tavenner said. Safety concerns are another worry, he said, because a storage facility is normally accessible 24 hours a day, bringing strangers to their neighborhood.
“We’ve had burglars,” he said. “We have them hit our house.”
But Castle said he would agree to close the facility at night, and even sign an agreement saying so.
“The land is not suitable for farming or building a house because it’s so close to the state highway there,” Castle said. “A storage facility with all the farmers in the area would be ideal for that particular area.”
Moorefield Township Board of Trustees also submitted a letter to the Clark County Community Development office requesting the county deny the rezoning request. The letter cites traffic concerns.
“This intersection already has a history of serious and fatal accidents,” the letter reads.
Tom Tavenner would like to see changes made to the intersection, he said, before a business moves in, including possibly a traffic light or flashing yellow lights.
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