STARKVILLE – Sarah Saidi, a co-owner of 76 Gas and Grill on Highway 12, invested her life savings when she and her family moved from New York to Starkville last year, hoping to open a second convenience store and gas station along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive West.
Saidi, her brother and a third business partner approached Starkville aldermen during a public hearing at the board’s regular monthly meeting Tuesday at City Hall, requesting the board approve a rezoning request that would allow them to reopen a long-vacant gas station at the intersection of MLK and Dr. Douglas L. Conner Drive.
Even though the property once was used as a gas station, new zoning rules the city adopted since its shuttering mean it cannot be one again.
The property is currently zoned T5-C, a corridor form-based district where mixed-use buildings, parks, hotels, restaurants, banks and other developments are generally permitted. Establishments like retail stores and churches are permitted with special exceptions, though gas stations and convenience stores are not among them.
“This town has so much potential,” Saidi told the board. “It is welcoming, caring and built on a strong sense of community. I truly want to be a part of that. However, I have invested all my savings and (taken) out debt to be here, simply for a chance to build something I can call my own, a chance I have never had before.”
Despite the owners’ pleas and support from Oktibbeha County District 1 Supervisor Ben Carver, aldermen unanimously denied the request.
The property, an out-of-service gas station, has sat vacant for years. Although the Saidi family has been paying rent on the site for about a year with plans to reopen it, 76 Gas and Grill co-owner Dakota Cadena said they were not informed the location could not legally operate as a gas station until they began applying for business permits roughly six months ago.
City Planner Daniel Havelin presented the request to the board, noting it had already been denied 5-1 by the Planning and Zoning Commission earlier this month.
Havelin said the request conflicts with Starkville’s 2016 comprehensive plan, which guides the city’s official zoning map. The zoning map can only be amended if there is an error in the code or if changing conditions justify the rezoning and demonstrate a public need.
‘We’re doing our part’
Cadena and siblings Sarah and Sam Saidi presented the board with roughly 220 customer signatures supporting the second location.
During the hearing, Sam Saidi highlighted the family’s contributions through their Highway 12 location, including more than $200,000 annually in tax revenue, donations to Starkville High School and Mississippi State University organizations and allowing a permanent SMART bus stop on their property.
He said approval of the rezoning would also align with the city’s $50 million Highway 182 revitalization project.
“With approval of this amendment to the zoning, Sunoco gas company, and my sister and I combined, are investing almost half a million dollars onto this corner,” he said. “… So it’s safe to say that we’re doing our part to contribute to the success of the city’s project.”
Along MLK Drive, three gas stations remain in operation, all of which were grandfathered in after adoption of the 2016 plan since they were open at the time.
Sam Saidi argued the site remains functionally a gas station, noting that underground fuel storage tanks are still installed, although the above-ground pumps have been removed.
Cadena told the board a downtown-adjacent convenience store offering diesel fuel would fill a service gap along the corridor.
“Currently, many individuals downtown do not have convenient access to hot over-the-counter, medications, beverages and other essential items,” he said. “A centrally located convenience store … would encourage people to stay downtown longer, which would lead to increased visits to nearby shops and entertainment venues.”
Carver, who previously served as an alderman, also said he believed the revitalization project constituted a change in conditions that would meet the criteria for an amendment to the zoning map.
“I’ve seen what they do for business,” Carver told the aldermen during Tuesday’s hearing. “… They’re not going anywhere. They’re community leaders already.”
‘Slap in the face’
Ward 4 Alderman Mike Brooks said he wasn’t in favor of form-based coding on the MLK Drive corridor but felt constrained by law to deny the request.
“I would almost be in favor to go along with this,” Brooks said. “I think it’d be a great addition, but … I’m afraid that if we go down that path and we zone this one spot, we are going against the law.”
Ward 2 Alderwoman Sandra Sistrunk agreed, saying approving spot zoning would undermine long-term planning.
“I think that we all are in agreement with the good work that these people have done, and we hope that you find the right place for a business as you want to expand, but it’s like planting a plant in your yard,” she said. “The wrong plant in the wrong place just takes on a life of its own and ruins what you’re trying to accomplish.”
Sistrunk moved to deny the request, which received a second by Ward 7 Alderman Henry Vaughn, who said permitting the rezoning would be a “slap in the face” to other business owners who have been denied special requests in the area.
Mayor Lynn Spruill said the board appreciated the family’s commitment but emphasized the importance of adhering to the city’s adopted plans.
“I appreciate that y’all are being good community stewards, truly, … we want you to be here, and want you to continue to be a part of the community,” Spruill said. “… But remaining consistent with the things that we have as our plan … this would not be fitting to make that change.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
