ST. JOSEPH, Mich. -- Developers who want to build a CVS at Niles and Myrtle avenues in St. Joseph, Michigan presented their fourth proposal to the planning commission Thursday evening.

Residents near the proposed site say the store is not necessary and they don't want it in their neighborhood.

"There are families who have been in the drug store business for two or three generations, and we like that, they are part of our community," said Joan Emlong of St. Joseph.

A new drug store on that corner might be an opportunity the city can't turn down.

 

"It's my opinion that those folks will continue to patronize that pharmacy and there shouldn't be any fear of competition right? I mean, competition should lower costs," said developer Eric Harvey.



Lower costs at the checkout line could come at the price of more traffic in the area.

 

"It's dangerous to drive down this street, you've got people coming and going, coming out of businesses so you're going to add a great big thing like this, that's obviously going to have the same problem," said Emlong.

 

Developers for the pharmacy say the new CVS won't increase traffic flow on that street significantly and say it's a street already populated with commercial businesses.

 

"The traffic studies that have been done show that most of the traffic is already passing by going down Niles now," said Harvey.

 

For developers, the decision is simple.

 

"This is really a question of deciding  between facts and emotion. The facts of this project, the scrutiny it's been under and the compromises we've made, versus the emotion of, we're destroying the ravine, and the things we heard originally. We're going to destroy wildlife, of course we're not going to do that," said Harvey.



But for those who call St. Joseph home, they simply don't want it.

 

"There's lots of little streets like this in St. Joe. And why would we lose them, it's the whole character of our town," said Emlong.

The planning commission approved the plan 5-1 and it now goes before the city commission on July 14.