By the numbers
$20 million: Estimated total investment for proposed Kroger Marketplace store on Ohio 72.
123,000: Estimated square footage at the new store.
350: Estimated number of employees at Kroger.
STAYING WITH THE STORY
The Springfield News-Sun broke the news about a proposed Kroger Marketplace store in Springfield Twp. in April, including stories covering community meetings and tracking the rezoning process.
Bartimus Moore walks a little more than a half-mile everyday from his home on South Wittenberg Avenue to the Kroger store on South Limestone Street to pick up odds and ends.
The Springfield resident hadn’t heard about the store possibly closing and relocating to Ohio 72. That would increase his walk to more than 2 miles.
“How am I going to get out there?” Moore asked. “Are they going to have busing?”
That question and many others has led to a lengthy debate about the development of a new $20 million Kroger Marketplace store at 2630 Springfield-Jamestown Road.
If city leaders approve the rezoning and annexation requests this month, Kroger plans to move from the heart of the south side and construct a much larger shopping center about 1.7 miles south on Ohio 72, the first major commercial development in the largely rural area south of Interstate 70 in Springfield Twp.
Opponents believe the store would create traffic and crime problems in Springfield Twp. and leave a south side neighborhood without a grocer within walking distance. Those in favor of it believe 350 new jobs and an significantly expanded Kroger will provide a much-needed boost to Clark County.
The store has long been a sore spot with residents who believe it exemplifies the difference between the north and south sides of the city.
The city has worked with Kroger for years to renovate the store on South Limestone Street with no success, said Springfield Mayor Warren Copeland, who primarily shops at the location.
“We’ve done everything we can to urge Kroger to update that store,” Copeland said.
However, it’s a simple business decision for Kroger, Copeland said. The company didn’t return requests for comment last week.
“They will not make money by upgrading that store,” he said. “Most of my neighbors go east and west instead of south, therefore, they’re not losing customers by the store being as it is.”
‘Can’t tell Kroger what to do’
South side residents have desired a better Kroger store for many years, Copeland said.
“This is better than any of us expected,” he said.
But he said the proposed location isn’t what the city would have preferred. He believes north of the interstate would’ve been much better for the south side neighborhood.
“We can’t tell Kroger what to do,” he said. “They make the final decision and final analysis. We can try to tell them why we think they should make decisions, but we can’t make the decision for them.”
Copeland knows removing the store will create problems for residents without reliable transportation. The city is considering adding a bus line to the new store.
“The majority of people who shop there get there by car now,” Copeland said.
‘Game changer for the community’
The current 30,000-square-foot-store was constructed on a 3-acre property at the corner at South Limestone Street and John Street in 1963.
“I like this store,” Moore said. “It’s been here since I was little.”
While the new store will be closer to his home in Limecrest, Allen Caper believes the new development will lead to more crime in the area. He walking to the current store last week.
“Too many people will be coming out there stealing, thieving,” he said. “It’s a new spot away from nothing. They’ll be able to do what they want.”
The new Kroger would create more traffic on Ohio 72 and hurt the south side neighborhood where it’s currently located, Springfield Twp. resident Karl Johnston said. He said he’s against the development.
“It’s going to be good for the area, but it’s not going to be good for the local people where (this Kroger) is at,” Johnston said. “They need it here. If they move out, hopefully some other grocery store will move in.”
The south side is more than ready for a bigger and better grocery store, Springfield resident Beverly Lee said. She often shops at other Kroger stores in Springfield, despite living closer to the South Limestone location.
“I’m excited,” Lee said. “I’m hoping it will be bigger, cleaner, just more things. I won’t mind the drive out there.”
The south side will make the drive to the development further south, she said.
“Those who want to get there, they’ll get there,” Lee said.
While there are some concerns about how it will affect the south side neighborhood, the pros outweigh the cons, Southern Gateway Neighborhood Association President Brian Keith said. There’s an effort to accommodate residents who live nearby, he said.
“When you start talking about 350 jobs, that’s just a game changer for the community,” Keith said.
Some residents are hesitant to change, Keith said, but there hasn’t been much real development on South Limestone Street for many years. While there are some new restaurants, many were built on the same site as old restaurants, he said.
“It hasn’t seen a lot of development compared to Bechtle or East Main Street,” Keith said.
At the same time, Springfield Twp. residents are concerned about their neighborhood losing its rural identity, township Trustee Tim Foley said. The township didn’t get to vote on the proposed Kroger because it was an expedited annexation.
If approved, development will be able to continue because properties contiguous to the store can now annex into the city — and township neighbors are afraid it could lead to another Bechtle Avenue, he said.
“I don’t think that there’s too many people in this town that consider going out to Bechtle a favorable shopping experience,” Foley said.
Minimal traffic impact
A traffic study is underway for the new development, but hasn’t been completed.
The new development will likely have minimal impact on traffic in the area, Clark County-Springfield Transportation Coordinating Committee Director Scott Schmid said.
“There’s not a lot of cars out there right now in that section,” Schmid said.
A traffic light and a turn lane into the development could be possible, he said, but it shouldn’t affect traffic. More traffic will likely come if more developments are added, Schmid said.
“It’s going to be a big development, I just don’t think there’s enough around it right now,” Schmid said. “It seems like it’s kind of isolated.”
About 13,000 cars travel on Ohio 72 near Kinnane Avenue per day, according to 2005 TCC traffic counts, the most recent available. The traffic down the road near West Possum Road is about 8,000 cars per day.
The traffic could create problems for people who live near the proposed location, Springfield Twp. resident Susan Page told city commissioners last week. She’s especially concerned about high school students using Ohio 72 to get home from nearby Shawnee High School.
It’s hard to tell how the traffic will affect Clark County because similar stores in the Dayton area were built near existing locations or in previously developed commercial areas, Springfield City Engineer Leo Shanayda said.
Four recently constructed Kroger Marketplace stores in Beavercreek, Clayton, Troy and Fairborn were built near an existing stores, while the Centerville location was built in a former department store down the street from its former location.
“I’ve never seen one stand alone (like this),” Shanayda said.
A comparable development to the Kroger on Ohio 72 is another big box store also located in Springfield Twp.
When the east side Walmart location on Tuttle Road was built in 2005, the traffic didn’t necessarily increase until several outlots — including Bob Evans, Sonic, several banks and two shopping centers — were built around it, Schmid said.
The annual average daily traffic on U.S. 40 near Old Columbus Road was about 12,000 cars per day around the time the Walmart was constructed in 2005, according to TCC traffic counts. The number increased to more than 15,000 cars per day in 2008.
The last count performed in 2012 showed about 14,000 cars per day. The traffic also decreased on U.S. 40 near Bird Road from about 10,000 cars per day in 2003 to 8,750 cars per day in 2012.
Two large properties on U.S. 40 have been rumored to be developed in the past, but that has yet to happen, Schmid said. That’s when the traffic could become comparable to nearby East Main Street, which sees about 20,000 cars per day near the intersection at Burnett Road.
“You keep on developing on out and that’s when your traffic is going to change,” Schmid said.
Food desert concerns
A food desert is defined as a low-income census tract where a large number of residents have low access to a supermarket or large grocery store.
There are currently seven census tracts in Springfield without a grocery store within one mile, including portions of downtown, southwest, southeast and west sides of the city, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture online map.
The loss of the Kroger store from the south side would likely create another big hole, said Sarah Dahlinghaus, creating healthy communities coordinator for the Clark County Combined Health District.
The key moving forward would be to attract another grocery store to the area, she said, as well as making sure people have the means to travel to the new Kroger, including safe access by walking, biking or bus. The new grocery store could provide better selection for residents, she said, if they’re able to get there.
“We as a community have to make sure its walkable, bikeable and we have public transit running from the neighborhoods who will feel that loss,” Dahlinghaus said. “We have to do what we can to ensure we’re not taking away access.”
Low food access
The map below highlights low-income Census tracts in which a significant number of residents is more than 1 mile (in urban areas) of 10 miles (in rural areas) from the nearest supermarket. (Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture)
Crime concerns
Several residents have also expressed concerns about law enforcement presence at the proposed supermarket on Ohio 72.
If the annexation is approved, the Springfield Police Division would respond to calls at the new development. The police currently respond to the nearby Marathon station south of I-70, as well as the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport on U.S. 68 and the Walmart location on U.S. 40, Chief Stephen Moody said.
“If we have a call for service, we’re going to respond,” Moody said. “If it’s a priority call, call for service, we’re going to come, respond quickly.”
South Limestone Street is covered by two different police districts, Moody said. The sectors that touch Leffel Lane aren’t the city’s busiest areas, Moody said.
“We’ll handle the calls for service, just as we’re trying to handle calls throughout the city now,” Moody said.
Kroger also has security guards who patrol the store and they’ll also work with management about how to best respond to the store, he said.
With the I-70 and Ohio 72 interchange nearby, both the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Clark County Sheriff’s Office will also be available to provide help if needed, Moody said.
Springfield Twp. residents have also expressed concerns about possible cuts to the police force if a city income tax increase doesn’t pass in November. About 11 civilian employees could be cut if the levy fails, who would then be replaced by uniform patrol officers coming off the street, Moody said.
“It’s going to impact staffing and calls for service on the lesser priority calls,” Moody said. “I’m gravely concerned about our staffing and our ability to be proactive.”
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