Oxford City Council will vote on a potential Kroger gas station Nov. 4.
Oxford City Council members debated the fate of a proposed Kroger gas station at the Oct. 21 city council meeting, eventually setting aside the issue for a second reading and vote at the next meeting Nov. 4.
The change would be part of a larger expansion project for Kroger-which would involve a 24,000 square-foot addition to the current store. Kroger representative Jonathan Wocher said the new plans for the station would include five pumps, or 10 fueling stations, and a larger landscaped area, all per the council's request.
The proposed station would be located along Locust Street, in an area currently used as part of the shopping mall's parking lot.
The plan was met with support from several council members and community members.
"The question is not if we should do this, but how," local architect Scott Webb said.
Oxford Mayor Prue Dana agreed.
"There is overwhelming support for the gas station," Dana said.
Original plans for the proposed gas station were shot down at an Oct. 7 meeting of the Oxford Planning Commission, with the number of fuel pumps and other landscaping concerns central in the commission's critiques. The original plans included more parking spots along Locust Street and seven fuel pumps-or 14 fueling stations.
The new plans also include a façade consistent with that of Kroger's, recessed lighting, a canopy that will align with the side of the Kroger building and an improved plan for better parking lot circulation.
However, many at the meeting found fault with the new plans.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
"We have paved areas," Councilor Greig Rutherford said. "We don't need more."
Rutherford was also concerned that any future renovations of the former Wal-Mart and Odd Lots buildings, both located nearby, would conflict with Kroger's renovations.
"I don't want to tell Kroger to spend money on that particular improvement when it may only be in effect for a short time," Rutherford said.
Several councilors and community expressed concern that community members looking to redeem their "Kroger points" in a reduced gas price are now forced to drive as far as Hamilton in order to fill up at a Kroger gas station.
However, resident Kathleen Zien said more gas stations is not the answer. She said Kroger prices won't be competitive, especially since there are two other gas stations near the proposed site.
"Kroger doesn't have to make a living from a gas station," Zien said. "We should stick to the old stations who have stuck it out in hard times."
If the plans for the fuel stations are turned down, however, several residents worry that Kroger will leave the area or relocate to the outskirts of town, as Wal-Mart did when it moved to its current location on St. Rt. 27.
Clay DePew, also a resident, said it is important to preserve the city center, especially at a location within walking distance for many students and community members.
"This is the one large employer in Oxford that has stayed in Oxford for a long time," DePew said. "We don't want to drive Kroger out to a Wal-Mart situation."
Dana also said there were rumors that if the gas station was voted down, the entire store expansion might be in jeopardy.
Zien, however, was skeptical of that assertion.
"Kroger plans to stay with or without a station," Zien said. "There is too much profit here for Kroger to move out."
Council ultimately requested Kroger consider curb-to-curb landscaping in the area fronting Locust Street, with Wocher assuring council that Kroger will work on revising the plan when it comes up for a second reading and a final vote.
Read More
How one professor and her classes are preserving Oxford’s Black history
By Sean Scott | March 20, 2024Jazma Sutton, an assistant professor of history, teaches The Black Midwest (HST 350Q) and Black Women in America (HST 450D) classes. In both courses, she has students working with the Smith Library of Regional History and Miami’s archives to document and preserve Black history in Oxford.
Miami faculty members recount Freedom Summer in new documentary
By Luke Macy | February 25, 2022After seven years of work, “Training for Freedom,” a documentary highlighting Oxford’s involvement in the Freedom Summer of 1964, premiered on PBS Western Reserve on Valentine’s Day.
“Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic”: History in the making
By Alice Momany | August 29, 2021In March 2020, Miami University’s archives launched “Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic,” a collection focused on life during the COVID-19 pandemic.