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By Tony Boom February 01. 2016 12:01AM Phoenix may gain a new drugstore PHOENIX — A Rite Aid Pharmacy may be in the town’s future as road work to upgrade traffic flow into downtown and off Interstate 5 at Exit 24 progresses. Hummelt Development Company of Seattle has submitted an application for site review of an 11,000-square-foot building with a drive-up pharmacy window on Bolz Road between Main Street and Fern Valley Road. Sketches submitted with the application show Rite Aid logos. A Rite Aid representative did not elaborate on plans. “We are in the early stages of exploring development opportunities in the Phoenix area,” said Rite Aid spokeswoman Kristin Kellum. “Unfortunately, at this time, I have no further details or plans to share.” The application is subject to a quasi-judicial process and public hearing before the Phoenix Planning Commission at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22, at 1000 S. B St. “It’s no surprise at all. We’ve had a lot of inquiries lately,” said Planning Director Matt Brinkley. “This is the second large non-residential project in the past three months. That is kind of a lot of action in the city relative to the past.” Commissioners will look at impacts on the environment from outside lighting and storm runoff, as well as landscaping proposals and design elements. A conditional use permit would be required for the development because it would have a drive-up window. Appeal of Planning Commission approval would be made to the City Council. The store would be on the east side of Bolz Road on two parcels totaling slightly more than one acre. The Bavarian Hotel was previously located on one of the parcels. The store would probably generate more vehicle trips than allowed under a trip budget overlay developed by the city with Oregon Department of Transportation, designed to ensure that traffic doesn’t exceed capacity. Each parcel is assigned a maximum number of trips allowed. But the developer has been in negotiations to acquire more trips from other parcels' allotments, a provision allowed by the agreement, said Brinkley. “You have to do a traffic study within the trip budget area with any new development,” said Brinkley. “Drive-thru pharmacies, like drive-thru fast food, generate a lot of peak p.m. trips. It looks like they provided a pretty thorough traffic study.” Hummelt Development did not return calls seeking comment Rite Aid has stores in Ashland and Medford. Walgreens has proposed buying Rite Aid, a purchase that would need approval from federal anti-trust regulators. Two Walgreens are in Medford and one in Central Point. Development interest continues for land around the interchange and on other improved roads as the I-5 project gets closer to completion, said Brinkley. Most of the calls are focused on land east of I-5. Exit 24 Storage LLC has receive approval to build a 47,000-square-foot storage facility at 3850 Fern Valley Road next to Petro Truck Stop. Tony Boom is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected] http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20160201/NEWS/160209993 © 2016 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->