HOWARD — Owners of a one-acre piece of land west of the Howard fire substation were shocked when the Howard Township Board of Zoning Appeals rejected their application for two variances on land the zoning board recommended be rezoned from agricultural to business in order to build a Dollar General store.

B.J. and Tomi Ward, Fredericktown, asked the board Tuesday to approve a parking lot that would accommodate 30 parking spaces instead of the township’s required 60 spaces. The number of parking spaces is determined by the square footage of the building, which is planned to be about 9,100 square feet. In addition, they asked for a setback of 10 feet instead of the required 20 feet on the north side of the property, to accommodate an unloading zone behind the store. A setback is green space between the blacktop and the property line.

The Wards have been working with Doug McElwee, who is building the Dollar General in Danville, to develop the project. According to Tomi, their deal with McElwee was contingent not only on the rezoning of the property, but also the acquisition of the two variances.

“We’ll have to put the house back on the market and hope in this economy it sells,” Tomi said of the three-bedroom home the couple previously used as a rental property.

In addition to the Wards, only one Howard Township property owner attended the public hearing. B.J. Ward spoke in affirmation of the variances while William Spitzer, owner of the property west of the Wards, voiced his concerns in objection.

“I was not aware of this project until I received a letter,” Spitzer said of the notice he and other property owners adjacent to the Ward’s property received from the township notifying them of the public hearing. “I haven’t seen any plans. My concern is property values.”

Spitzer said his son lives in the home west of the proposed store and had planned to purchase the property. However, Spitzer said if the store were built, he would no longer want to make that purchase.

“I don’t know what effect [the store] would have on property values, I only know the potential buyer is no longer interested in purchasing the property,” Spitzer said. “This property was not intended to be a long-term rental; now I’m afraid I’ll be stuck with it.”

The Wards, Spitzer and the board discussed avenues that would help protect Spitzer’s property, including a wooden, or natural, fencing between the two properties. Although McElwee was not available for the hearing, B.J. said McElwee has already committed to making the transition smooth and amicable with neighbors.

“He wants surrounding landowners to be happy,” B.J. said.

Safety ended up being the main topic of the hearing, especially for board member Mike Endsley.

“The safety concern would bother me tremendously,” Endsley said. “If a semi is coming down the hill at 35 mph and there’s a horse and buggy halfway down the hill [going to or from the store], you are not going to be able to stop from running someone over — no matter how good your brakes are.”

Board member Lawrence Blubaugh voted in favor of the variance, while Endsley and Chuck Ziegler voted in opposition. Both stated concerns with public safety as reasons for their vote. Board chairman Donald Blanchard is only permitted to vote in the event of a tie. The fifth member of the board, Bob Hamler, was not in attendance.

Following the meeting, zoning inspector Bill Gordon said board members are not required to give reasons during a vote.

“I’m not opposed to bringing the store to Howard,” Endlsey said. “I just don’t think the middle of a hill is the place to do it.”

“I’m not seeing any safety issues in regard to what we were here to discuss tonight,” B.J. said following the meeting. “Maybe in the big picture safety should be addressed, but not for these two variances.”

The Wards plan to look for options to have their request for the variances rejuvenated while waiting for next week’s public hearing regarding their rezoning request.

A public hearing is set for Thursday, June 4, at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the proposed zoning change for the property. The township’s zoning board and Knox County Regional Planning have both recommended the zoning change. The hearing will be followed by the township’s regular meeting at 6 p.m., where action will be taken on the zoning request.