Montgomery City Council rejects citizen request to sell property to Dollar General

The Montgomery City Council rejected a proposal by two local property owners to sell their land to Dollar General.  

At issue was property in East Montgomery on the south side of Ray Thorington Road across from the baseball park. Veterinarians Dr. Scott Griffin and Dr. Bill Van Hooser purchased the property years ago for an animal clinic, but that plan fell through, and they now want to sell the property to Dollar General.

A zoning restriction on the property states that it can only be used as a veterinary clinic. The Planning Commission voted 7-2 to lift the restriction. Mark Davis, the attorney representing the vets, argued at the Nov. 4 city council meeting that the city council should follow suit because the zoning is so restrictive that the property is “almost unmarketable.”  

Davis further argued that if the zoning change was not approved the town of Pike Road would accept a Dollar General and Montgomery could lose $2 million in tax revenue.

An engineer representing the developer said a Dollar General would not have negative effects on neighbors because its location between a school and an electric substation would not be visible to homeowners.

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Several other citizens spoke against rezoning, citing traffic concerns, security issues and property values. Councilor Glen Pruitt said he was concerned that developing the property could lead to flooding in Breckenridge, Thornton Trace and Deer Creek.

The measure was rejected with a 7-2 vote to applause from the audience.

The city council also voted that the mayor must get the council’s approval for city contracts of more than $50,000. The resolution was approved with a 5-4 vote.

The council approved a 60-day moratorium on issuing lounge and package store liquor licenses. The decision was made unanimously after Gov. Kay Ivey received a letter from the Alabama ABC Board suggesting changes to alcohol policies in the wake of a shooting that killed two and wounded 12 in Montgomery last month.

The Montgomery City Council meets at 5 p.m. every first and third Tuesday of the month at City Hall on 103 North Perry Street. Recordings of meetings can be found on YouTube and Facebook. Agendas can be found here.