By Danielle Coots

For the News-Current

BEAVERCREEK — Sleep Outfitters will be welcoming a new home in the near future. Beavercreek council approved a major modification of an existing site plan in order to allow for the construction of a 4,800 square foot retail building at the Shoppes at Fairfield Commons.

“I was on the planning commission when this came through the first time. Then, it was up in the air if something that small could work on this property. But, we wanted something special to occupy it,” Beavercreek Mayor Bob Stone said. “I’m not a fan of this layout. It just doesn’t feel good. I don’t know what should go there and I’m not in the business of marketing to know what will work or not. But, I just have some concerns about the way it’s laid out.”

The original site plan was approved in 1996 for a larger scale business and included 31.332 acres. So, the current applicant, Sleep Outfitters is looking for a change in the current plan and a much smaller area.

Sleep Outfitters requested the modification to allow for the construction of a 4,800 square foot retail building near Hobby Lobby and next to IHOP. Currently, this business is behind Chili’s, but is looking for something with more visibility and traffic.

Councilwoman Melissa Litteral had concerns about the parking and additional traffic in the area in connection with IHOP. “Right now, you can’t go around the building and it’s hard to turn around. The parking there is atrocious.”

In addition to the parking issue, council has a concern of what will happen to the location should Sleep Outfitter ever move. What else could be comfortable there? It’s going to be a small retail location with a small parking lot and not easily accommodate heaving traffic. Even with their concerns, they can’t control what will occupy the retail store in the future.

In addition to the 15 conditions recommended by staff, Councilwoman Debborah Wallace recommended Sleep Outfitters add an additional handicap parking spot to the already one space they originally had planned.

With that change, the major modification was approved allowing the process to move forward.

Danielle Coots is a freelance writer for Greene County News.