This issue NOT anti-business, it's pro-residential. Have you seen the actual site they are planning to build on? It's all trees, shrubs and grass. It is NOT zoned for commercial use and has NEVER been zoned for anything but residential use.

There are many 'dead' business locations already zoned commercially that DO need to be redeveloped. Cheaper to destroy trees and a potential park than clean up old asphalt and revitalize one of the ugly dead business zones.

The value of my home and the quality of my life will be destroyed by having a 3 story, 24 hour a day, 7 days a week business with diesel trucks, constant traffic, noise and lights, fumes, and trash next door to me. 50 feet from a gas station, check out the health risks.
It will hurt property values for every single home owner here and we have rights too.
At the last meeting Racetrac assured us there would be no bums or vagrants on their property, they have onsight security who run them off every day. The neighborhood and myself do not have our own security force to deal with all the undesirables that will be run off the racetrack property, into our neighborhood.
Crime will increase, traffic will be dangerous and congested, the green spaces that already have protection will be hurt by the run off from the station and the added pollution.
There are plenty of other sites that need to redeveloped, this is part of a very lovely neighborhood and we have the right to protect it. People live here.

Right on, Mary Ellen Jones. RaceTrac and all businesses should turn first to neighboring business plots that are abandoned before disturbing residential areas. If the county wants these dead commercial zones to come back to life -- and live up to its promise of sustainability and commitments to the environment and community input -- it should do all it can to direct RaceTrac and others to turn around the blight and not allow a residential zone to be destroyed.

I wonder if the abandoned lot owners are still paying property taxes and therefore DeKalb County sees more $$$ by developing yet another plot of land. Outrageous, if so.

The story is not clear here. You say this was zoned residential. So how did the zoning get changed? That has to follow a certain legal procedure. If it didn't, I'm very sure you can stop it.

Sally, if you read the initial story linked on this article, you'll see the background. RaceTrac wants to rezone the land. I don't believe they've applied yet. They told residents they would have this second meeting before they decided anything. The residents want to stop the rezoning, as you suggested.

I have nothing against Racetrac built in a commercial space. This is a residentially zoned space and having a 3 story, 24 hour a day, 7 day a week business in your yard would probably not have the same charm for you as the one you visited in Dawsonville. We have a shopping mall already.
Quiktrip is across six lanes of highway and there are plenty of gas stations here, Racetrack brings nothing positive to this neighborhood, it will only destroy our property values and drastically reduce the quality of life for us. Shining lights into house windows all night long, banging dumpsters, revving diesel trucks, constant traffic and wandering 'undesirables' that get booted off the Racetrac property into your neighborhood? Traffic safety is a huge concern, it will clog up the traffic and cause more accidents being on the other side of a blind hill. I ask that you check out the actual site. It's overgrown right now, showing the lack of respect Racetrac really has for the county ordinances and maintenance of the property already. Want one next door to YOUR house? this is a walking/biking neighborhood, the traffic increase will make it unsafe, even though we already have speed bumps. Homeowners who invest in residential property in Dekalb county have rights too.

Just what we need -- another mall.

Good Growth Dekalb may not be able to stop the WalMart, but their continued pressure can affect the type of WalMart that is built. A "neighborhood" WalMart, smaller and less intrusive would be a better fit than a Super WalMart. Sometimes WalMart actually tries to fit into the area they are invading. BUT, you are so right, Steve, that this Racetrack site is a great opportunity for Good Growth DeKalb to help with and they will.

It would be a great place for them to get involved, considering RaceTrak has hired a high profile law firm to drown out the pleas of this neighborhood to officials. I couldn't imagine the folks who will now have this monstrosity literally right next to their house, where other houses used to sit. It will turn a residential neighborhood into a place with 24 hour traffic cutting through.

It's between Hollywood and Orion on Lawrenceville Hwy, at the traffic light. It IS residential and Racetrack wants it zoned commercial. It's the park like space across from county owned Little Creek Horse Farm.

Indeed "build it". But build it in a commercial space, not in a residential neighborhood.

Let me clarify that at the first meeting the 'painting' and 'site plan' that Racetrac had on display for us to look at was a generic image of their multi story type of store and a couple of colored drawings that simply showed the area in question. Racetrac did not present any genuine plans of the structure they want to build on this particular site at the first meeting in May.