People in LeClaire packed City Hall Thursday night to try to stop a new gas station from being built.
The Planning and Zoning board discussed the proposal for a Kwik Star at the corner of Cody and Eagle Ridge Roads. Those lots are zoned for residential use right now so the property would have to re-zoned as a commercial district.
Attorney Michael Meloy spoke on behalf of 14 homeowners who live near the proposed site. He said the re-zoning would be illegal.
“They’re trying to change the comprehensive plan to accommodate a business that doesn’t belong in a residential neighborhood. This type of business belongs in a commercial corridor,” he said.
Jeff Rose is one of the homeowners Meloy represents. Up until last summer, he and his wife lived in a house right by the proposed lot. When their family grew, they moved two doors down.
“We love the neighborhood. We wanted to stay there. We had another child, we needed more bedrooms [and] that house became available,” Rose said. “We could have moved anyplace. We chose to stay in LeClaire, in that neighborhood.”
Now realtors are telling him to expect a 5 to 10 percent drop in property value if the Kwik Star is built.
“I work three jobs — one full-time, two part-time jobs — to be able to support my family and I just can’t take a hit like that,” Rose said.
Rose and the other residents say the Kwik Star would bring extra traffic to the area causing safety concerns. They also worry the 24-hour lights would be a disturbance.
Transforming the once-quiet neighborhood rose and his wife picked to raise their family in.
“My bedroom looks directly over that property. My living room looks directly over that property,” Rose said. “That’s what we’re going to be seeing, is gas prices every morning when I wake up and that’s not what LeClaire is about.”
The homeowners said they’ve been knocking on doors asking people to sign a petition against the Kwik Star. They said more than 80 percent of people asked opposed the re-zoning.
The LeClaire City Council will look at the issue on Jan. 22.
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