The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Newspaper 'not going anywhere' despite Walgreens site plan
By Edward Freundl, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: May 15, 2008
A national drugstore chain evidently has its eye on a piece of property in Chelsea that would bring it within a few hundred feet of two competitors.
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The only thing is, that property is still being used by two landmark Chelsea businesses: The Wolverine Food & Spirits and the newsroom operations of The Chelsea Standard and The Dexter Leader.
"We're not going anywhere," said Terry Jacoby, editor of both publications.
"We will continue to serve the great communities of Chelsea and Dexter as we have for many years."
The property involved is located on Old US-12, just west of South Main Street.
CVS Pharmacy is located across Main Street, and to the south across Old US-12 is the Chelsea Pharmacy; which remains open for business despite the May 5 fire in the Chelsea Shopping Center.
Chelsea Zoning Administrator Jim Drolett told the newspaper that Walgreens had submitted a preliminary site plan to his office on May 1.
That plan is set to come before the city Planning Commission at its June 17 meeting.
According to its Web site, "As the nation's leading pharmacy retailer, Walgreens is experiencing one of the most dramatic growth rates in the industry. By 2010, Walgreens plans to have 7,000 stores open."
Just because a site plan is presented is no reason to call the moving van, said Wolverine owner Joe Merkel. "For the city to move on it and get all the clearances and zoning approvals will take at least five or six months," said the former village and city council member, adding that several real estate deals have been made on his property in the past.
"In my 40 years in this building, how many times have things fallen through?"
Drolett said the combined parcel measures 2.79 acres in two connected rectangles.
The site plan calls for the store to be 14,478 square feet and have 54 parking spaces, plus "stacking spaces" for up to five vehicles at the pharmacy drive-up window.
"They have filed an application for special land use for the drive-through pharmacy," Drolett said.
The required public hearing on the special use permit will take place at that June 17 planning commission meeting.
According to the site plan, the name of the development company is Hannawa Chelsea Holdings LLC, but several Internet searches returned no results for that name.
The phone number listed on the site plan application is also an apparent dead end. "This is Keith, leave a message," is the response to dialing the number.
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