After nearly an hour of discussion, the Plymouth Board of Zoning Appeals approved a Variance of Use for the property at 320 Kingston Road.
Tabled from the May meeting, Star Plymouth LLC plans to repurpose the building that years ago housed Dave & Rays Grocery along with G.L. Perry. That large building has been vacant for many years and the absent property owner allowed the structure to begin to deteriorate along with neglecting the property.
The property was transferred on June 1, 2023, from Plymouth Associates Limited Partnership to Star Plymouth LLC from Rochester NY for $368,333.
The owner, Matt Parrinello attended the BZA meeting online and explained their plans to convert the building to an indoor climate control storage unit facility. The promise was to turn the structure into a “first-class” property. The cover letter provided with the applications listed a number of improvements they plan to address including a complete exterior upgrade.
During the public hearing, local businessman Mike Delp expressed his support for another local business. He was also happy to see improvements being made to the building.
Randy Longanecker, a local businessman and city councilman said the property has been an eyesore for years. He too was glad to see someone making improvements to the building and asked the BZA to vote based on their finds and facts.
Sean Surrisi spoke as a Culver resident and said the city’s comprehensive plan shows additional business growth in the area. He also addressed a comment made by BZA member Brandon Richie about having Dollar General stores at the entrances to Plymouth. Surrisi said he shops frequently at Dollar General in Culver, and they serve as neighborhood stores which are a part of the comprehensive plan model.
Ken Zissler from the American Legion has concerns about flooding issues on the back of the property. He also wanted assurance the doors on the back of the building won’t be used by customers to access the building. He had concerns that people would drive trucks and trailers on the Legion property to get access to the storage units.
John Oliver from Oliver Ford wasn’t opposed to the plans but wanted assurances that the exterior would be aesthetically pleasing. He too had some concerns about the stormwater flooding and additional traffic.
After lots of discussions, the Plymouth BZA approved the Special Use with a list of stipulations including addressing the water flooding issues, instating sidewalks on Jefferson Street and Kingston Road, repaving the parking lot, creating parking for the church, upgrading the lighting to LED, landscaping with year-round maintenance, required maintenance to the detention pond and no exterior equipment sales.
