Edmond Neighbors Upset Over Potential Grocery Store Site

Homeowners in several additions near Covell and Coltrane are upset about a proposal to develop the Northwest corner of the intersection.

Tucked behind a wooded area at Covell and Coltrane sits an addition with more than 200 homes. The homeowners there say this is their slice of paradise, but they are not happy about a new neighbor that could be moving in within months.

“We don't want it, it's going to cause problems, it's going to cause security issues and it's going to ruin our beautiful way of life,” homeowner Kelly Black explained.

Black is not alone. She and a coalition of dozens of angry homeowners in the area say they will fight plans for a big grocery story.

An attorney for the land owner told News 9 that the current plan calls for a 42,000 square foot grocery store. The developer also plans to put in gas pumps. The homeowners met with the developer recently and worry the 24/7 operation of the store will cause major traffic congestion and create safety concerns for the residential neighborhood.

“Currently it's a four-way stop," said Black. "You know, one lane each way, and the traffic over the years, I’ve lived here twenty years in this addition, has gotten increasingly busy.”

Black cannot understand how the current road will handle any additional traffic that could come with the addition of the store. The homeowners association met with developers recently where they saw pictures of the plan. According to many of them, the drawings look like a Neighborhood Walmart store, but due to a non-disclosure agreement, the developer will not confirm or deny if that is the store.

Attorney Randel Shadid is representing the land owner and told News 9 he believes the project will ultimately be approved, because the nearly 10-acre lot has been zoned for commercial purposes for many years.

“We're looking at some of the concerns of the neighbors and trying to address some of those before we actually file the site plan,” Shadid said.

The homeowners still have major concerns, including the value of their properties and the view from their back yards.

“They're going to have a completely open area to the parking lot, the gas pumps and the grocery store, the pharmacy, the truck deliveries, everything that comes along with a 42,000 square foot grocery store,” Black said.

Shadid estimated it would be months before any ground-breaking happens on the site. A spokesperson for the City of Edmond said the plans for the development of the lot were still in the early stages.