By Jeanie Groh

jeanie.groh@salisburypost.com

Although Faith’s planning board rejected a rezoning request for a proposed store at the intersection of Faith Road and Crescent Road, more than a dozen people showed up to the town’s regular business meeting Monday to show their opposition to the business.

The name of the proposed business has not been officially released, but neighbors say they have been told it would be a Dollar General.

“It’s not a good fit for the community,” said Gary Eller, who lives near the site of the proposed store.

Eller said he’s concerned about the traffic the store would bring to the area, as well as the type of clientele Dollar General would bring to his neighborhood.

Lindsey Hobbs Jr., Faith’s community planner, said that all though the planning board discussed those sorts of impacts the store would have on the community, the rezoning request was rejected because the plans didn’t include enough parking spaces.

The town’s ordinance requires one parking space for every 200 square feet of structure. The current plan included 35 parking spaces, but needed 46.

The company representative said the store would bring goods and services to Faith that are not already available in town.

“Folks don’t want things to change around them,” he said, adding that there would be a “benign impact to the town.”

The representative said the additional required parking spaces would be added to the plans and they would be resubmitted to the planning board.

Faith’s Board of Aldermen set a called meeting for June 25 at 8 a.m., to approve the town’s budget for the 2015-16 fiscal year.

The proposed budget levies a tax of 41 cents per $100 of property. A 2 percent pay increase was discussed for the town’s clerk and financial officer, a 2 percent pay increase for the fire chief and public works administrator and a 1 percent raise for the town’s administrative assistant.

The board will review and vote on this plan on June 25.