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By EMILY SPARACINO / Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – The Montevallo Design Review Committee has approved a revised design plan submitted by a company wanting to construct a Dollar General retail store on Alabama 119 in Montevallo.

In an April 14 meeting live-streamed on the city’s Facebook page, the committee reviewed and discussed the revised plan with representatives from Shelby County, the Heritage Trace neighborhood and The Broadway Group, the company that has submitted an application for the construction of a Dollar General store featuring a new building design prototype in the city’s Scenic Corridor Overlay District on Alabama 119.

“This plan is back before the DRC,” Shelby County Principal Planner Kristine Goddard said. “It had come previously, and it was determined at that time that not enough of the guidelines had been met in the Scenic Corridor Overlay District, so Dollar General started over with their new design.”

Revisions the company submitted for the barn-style design include changes to the building elevations, roof pitch, front door, façade treatments around the building, lighting and signage.

“The main concern was the signage for the road and on the building,” Goddard said, noting the revised plan includes a small sign with a wood-grain texture on the building and a monument sign by the road that meets design requirements in the Scenic Corridor Overlay District. Both signs would be externally lit.

Jim Farris, who was representing Heritage Trace, expressed concerns about the yellow color on Dollar General’s signs.

Alyssa Carter with The Broadway Group said Dollar General would like to keep yellow on the sign since it’s a part of their brand and logo.

“A bright yellow sign is clearly one of the primary colors and should not be allowed,” Farris said. “I understand the branding, but the code says no primary colors, and yellow is clearly a primary color.”

Goddard said looking at the rest of the site and the application, all other colors provided have been muted and fully considerate of the guidelines, versus the one request of the applicant to maintain their logo color.

The Broadway Group provided color choices for the exterior elements, such as siding, brick and trim.

Farris said the exterior color choices are subdued colors that appear to be in keeping with the overlay district requirements.

DRC member Courtney Bennett said she thought any of the choices would fit with the pastoral intention of the district.

Several public commenters said they would like to see more brick used on the building’s exterior.

Copies of the design plan are available on the city’s website, Cityofmontevallo.com, or by contacting City Clerk Herman Lehman at hlehman@cityofmontevallo.com.

Next, the Montevallo Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing for the store’s site development plan on April 16 at 6 p.m.

The commission is also set to hold a public hearing April 16 on a request for the approval of a site development plan for a Dollar General store on property located at 110 Highway 25.