I decided to attend the Wheeling Planning Commission meeting Monday to take in the public hearing surrounding the potential On Deck Korner Store being planned for the residential neighborhood of North Park.
Attending in my journalistic capacity, I didn’t feel it was my place at the time to get up to speak, either in for, or against, the proposed project. We’re supposed to remain impartial, aside from editorials.
This is one of those times where I need to throw my two cents into the mix; not only because I believe this project is a great idea, but also because I lived in North Park for more than 30 years.
What originally perked my ears came during the portion of the public hearing set aside for those to speak against the project.
One gentleman, without giving much backstory, mentioned that there used to be a convenience store located on Mount Wood Road, right next to the insurance building, that only lasted a few months. This store was open during the early 1990s. It’s gone through a few reiterations since then and presently serves as a private residence.
The length this store remained open, this gentleman inferred, was one of the reasons the planning commission should vote against the project.
He’s factually correct. The store wasn’t open long. But, in a “now for the rest of the story” moment, there are a multitude o reasons why the store failed. I should know. I lived in North Park at the time and shopped at the store on a few occasions.
Number one, the selection was sparse, not only in items offered, but in quantity of items offered. I remember being more open space on the shelves than filled. The prices also were quite high.
I understand it’s a convenience store and, by nature, the prices will be higher. It can’t compete with say Kroger, or even Convenient Food Mart in terms of volume, so its prices natural will be higher. But that much?
I remember playing baseball and basketball down at tank field and running up the hill afterward to the store to get a drink. I quickly decided I could wait until I get home. I had enough, but I wasn’t paying those prices. And I think I can get a gallon of milk now at Kroger, for full price, and it’d be cheaper than what was being charged.
Non-Convenient Convenience Store
Price and selection were not the only issues. I remember the store having odd hours and not being open on the same days and times consistently. This wasn’t during the days when you could pop on the store’s Facebook page to see any hourly update changes. Either call, or swing by.
But I believe the biggest drawback was location. The store really wasn’t in North Park. The reasons that On Deck Korner Store, and its proposed location on 2 Hawk Court make it ideal, were not the same with the former store.
Because of its location, customers still had to drive, or in the case of some of the lower income residents of North Park, take the bus, or walk. On a nice day, that’s a far piece to traverse for someone, say, living at the North Park Apartments. And that’s on a nice day, without bags of groceries in their hands.
For those who took the bus, it’s close enough where paying the cost for a ride wasn’t worth it. Either way, even the walk to the bus stop is long. We don’t have to get into the issues caused during the winter with snow covered roads to traverse. If you’ve lived in North Park, you know how “fun” it can be. The city does its best, but even when the roads are clear of snow, they are still difficult to get up and down.
I got stuck on a few occasions when I didn’t have four-wheel drive, even AFTER the plow went through.
All that being said, the incentive to show at the store dwindled given the prices, the location, and selection. If you have to travel more than a mile or two to get there, and only a mile or two more to get to Kroger, and its better prices and selection, why wouldn’t you.
Examine that in comparison with On Deck’s Hawk Court locale. That is a location that is within walking distance from everyone on that side of North Park. Those living on West or East Cardinal, Finch Ave., or one of the offshoots could drive over and save quite a bit of time.
That’s where I lived, on W. Cardinal. I can guarantee you I’d have driven over there to pick up items the majority of the time.
Food Desert Indeed
The potential owner, Everette Gray, and a few of the others who gathered to speak in favor mentioned that North Park is a food desert. It certainly is the case. And yes, there are other hilltop neighborhoods in town, but most of those have either a restaurant, or store, or even a gas station on top of the hill, or in close proximity to shop. North Park? That’s a negative.
In fact, considering On Deck Korner Store plans to operate a deli, and also serve hot food, it would double as a place to go out to pick up a meal instead of just a grocery store. North Park has never had a restaurant within its borders. Again, as a former longtime resident, sometimes, you don’t want to go of the hill, nor do you feel like cooking. Yes, you could order delivery, but it’d be nice to have an immediate option close by.
Helping Those Who Need It
An issue with the plan is that Gray’s deed has a clause about only being used for residential purposes. Without getting too legal, there is a condition where if 60 percent or greater of residents living in Section 10 of the community signal their approval, he could use it for other purposes.
One woman, who owns property in North Park, asked about the effect on property values and then later inquired if homeowners’ opinions would be taken into greater consideration than the renters in the area. What she meant was the large number of residents living in North Park apartments.
I’m not insinuating she meant that maliciously. But considering many of those renters don’t own cars or have large amounts of disposable income, the convenience of On Deck would benefit them the most. So naturally, they’d be more inclined to vote in favor.
The point was made about giving more credence to those who had “skin” in the game, which I understand from a business perspective—to a point. But there are a large group of people who could greatly benefit from having a grocery store within walking distance from their residence. For those who can’t drive off the hill and have trouble affording public transportation, easy access to food is a quality-of-life issue.
To me, that’s worth exploring and, if 60 percent or more of that section give their approval, the planning commission, and the city, should do what’s right for their citizens and give Gray the chance to live his dream, while helping others.
I can think of a few hundred or so people on the hill who’d be extremely grateful.
