THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 13, 1996 TAG: 9606130419
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 49 lines
Circuit City's plans to build a mammoth used-car dealership in Chesapeake's Greenbrier community might be in jeopardy.
The city's Planning Commission voted 8-1 to approve the retailer's request to build a CarMax - a one-price, no-haggle dealership that offers a large selection of late-model used automobiles under warranty - on 25 acres off North Battlefield Boulevard.
But the commissioners added what Circuit City Stores Inc. considers a kiss of death: denying CarMax access to Battlefield Boulevard next to Interstate 64.
``As far as Circuit City is concerned, it's the same as a denial without the entrance off Battlefield,'' said Greg Dodd, an owner of Horton & Dodd PC, a civil engineering and consulting firm working with Circuit City.
The proposal now will go to the City Council. ``Certainly we're going to try (to convince the council) because if City Council keeps the commission's recommendations, Circuit City won't develop here,'' Dodd said.
The Richmond-based retailer thinks a Battlefield entrance would make it easier for shoppers to get to the dealership. But it has had a hard time convincing city officials that CarMax won't cause additional traffic problems on a section of Battlefield Boulevard that is awkwardly designed and often congested.
``It's not the responsibility of the commission to save drivers from themselves,'' Commissioner Debbie Ritter said. ``But I also think it's our responsibility not to set up a scenario where safety would be a concern.''
The city's Planning Department had suggested that the commissioners allow Circuit City an entrance off Battlefield. But to ease congestion, it recommended that shoppers exit from another road that connects to Volvo Parkway.
The commission decided that even one entrance off Battlefield would pose problems.
Circuit City officials disagreed. They said the used-car lot would generate much less traffic than other types of commercial development, such as a shopping center.
``I think you'll find that CarMax is a fairly low-impact development,'' said Jim Thornton, a Richmond consultant for Circuit City.
The retailer has been careful about choosing property for CarMax, a young venture for Circuit City. In August 1994, the company junked plans to build a CarMax along Kempsville Road in Norfolk. Circuit City officials thought the 12-acre property was too small and irregularly shaped.
KEYWORDS: CIRCUIT CITY USED CARS by CNB