Roanoke City Council unanimously approved a storm water utility fee to start July 1st. The vote was 6-0 with Councilman Bill Bestpitch absent. Roanoke is the largest Virginia city currently without such a fee. Council has yet to approve the actual fee structure but members have been talking about 90 cents per 500 square feet of impervious surface per month to be phased in over three years. Homeowners would be able to earn credits to offset the cost by taking certain measures such as setting up rain barrels on their land.
Council also followed the Planning Commission’s vote earlier this month and unanimously turned down a request to remove the proffers for the Epic Stop-In at the corner of 9th and Penmar Streets near a park and school. Ahmed “Adam” Elsayed and a colleague wanted to sell alcohol and tobacco products at the convenience store, along with milk, eggs, water, and snacks. He also has a delivery service.
After talking with zoning officials Elsayed said, “We were then told that we won’t have a problem to get the proffers removed.”
Elsayed, who’s from Egypt, said he felt discriminated against. “What should apply to one store should apply to everybody else.” He added that there are four stores and two bars on the street already that are selling alcohol. “Today I’m here just to seek that equality.”
He presented Council with a petition signed by 192 neighbors supporting his request. Nine people spoke at a public hearing before the vote. Six of those were against Elsayed’s request.
“No astute business person would invest (in) and open a business without first having been granted the permits for the very item he admitted to me his profits would come from, that being the sale of alcohol”, said Duane Howard, who was one of those who urged Council to vote no. Howard held up what he said was a crack pipe that he had someone purchase from the store.
“You simply cannot overlook misjudgment and putting this stuff in the store which is known to be used and contributed to untold number of deaths over the decades. If he were granted a permit to sell alcohol, then there would be nothing stopping him from putting these items back on the shelves at a later time.”
Following the public hearing, Councilman Ray Ferris said he agreed it seemed unfair that other businesses in that neighborhood are permitted to sell alcohol, but the proffer was put in place in 2002 specifically to prohibit the sale at that location.
“You knew that these proffers were in place and you signed the lease anyway.” He then told Elsayed that he shouldn’t have signed the lease until his request had been granted. But Elsayed and an associate said they did their research and were promised they could go ahead with the deal. Councilman David Trinkle agreed with his colleagues and the request was denied by a 6-0 vote.
– Beverly Amsler
