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Kroger trying again in Flower Mound
By Chris Roark, croark@starlocalnews.com
Flower Mound Mayor Tom Hayden said Sunday that Kroger officials resubmitted their application this past week for a specific use permit (SUP) for a fueling station and a site plan for $14.3 million in store improvements for its FM 2499/FM 1171 location.
Hayden said the application is very similar to the one submitted last year, which did not get the supermajority approval of the town council it needed to pass.
Hayden said Kroger representatives are expected to meet with the council on June 4 to discuss the item.
The expansion plans of the 63,840-square-foot facility by nearly 21,000 square feet included various enhanced departments, including bakery, deli, pharmacy, meat and seafood and wine. It was also going to feature a new natural foods department and a fresh cut fruit area.
The fueling station was set to include five pumps, two electric car charger stations and a kiosk to sell items such as soda and tobacco. Kroger officials said the fueling station was critical to proceed with the store expansion.
But the fueling station was the sticking point for then-council members Al Filidoro and Steve Lyda. Like some of the planning and zoning commissioners who voted to deny the request, Filidoro and Lyda said the station was in the wrong place. They supported the store expansion but not the fueling center.
Since that vote, the council has changed. Bryan Webb and Steve Dixon defeated Filidoro and Lyda, respectively, in the May 12 election. Webb and Dixon were supporters of Kroger’s plans.
The plan had the station 95 feet away from the right-of-way off FM 1171, and it had it placed in the middle of the parking lot. They said that was unsafe for drivers coming off of FM 1171 to turn into both entrances of the parking lot.
Following a meeting between Kroger executives and the town's economic development team (EDT), the station was proposed to be moved back 10 feet from its original plan voted on by the commission.
But Kroger representatives were not in favor of moving the station to other parts of the property, saying it would be more difficult for fuel trucks to maneuver and it would take away more parking spaces.
Other members of the council refuted the notion that this design has safety issues.
Kroger officials said numerous town standards have been met under the plan, including vehicle stacking, truck turning radius and drive isles requirements.
Gary Huddleston, community affairs director for Kroger, said last year that the project could bring in $332,000 a year in sales tax. He said the store brings in $164,000 a year without the project.
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