Aiken leaders reject location of Parker’s Kitchen - for now
AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Neighbors in Aiken celebrated a temporary victory Monday night.
They were not on board with plans for a new Parker’s Kitchen on the corner of Whiskey Road and Stratford Drive next to three neighborhoods.
They’re concerned about what the gas station could bring to the area.
We went to see the possible location of Parker’s Kitchen and spoke with a neighbor before Monday’s Aiken City Council meeting.
On Whiskey Road, you can see businesses on three corners, but neighbors were fighting for the last piece to stay untouched, and it will stay untouched for now.
Neighbors cheered hearing Parker’s Kitchen on Whiskey Road is no longer happening.
“This shows that the process can work, and we were very concerned about what was happening on this entire matter and if the right thing didn’t happen in the right process so we’re extremely pleased,” said Bill Reichardt, a neighbor.
Before the meeting, neighbors rallied together, deciding what they would say.
MEANWHILE IN AUGUSTA:
- Parker’s Kitchen has announced a new location in Augusta. The new store will be at Windsor Spring and Tobacco roads in 2024. The company also plans at least one location in Columbia County. “We’re delighted to welcome Parker’s to Augusta and appreciate this important investment in our community,” said Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson.
We talked to them about their concerns, but those problems are gone for now.
Mary Camlet-Agresta, a neighbor, said: “Put all the notes together and how we all felt about certain things and that brought us here and we won.”
They’re concerned about traffic, possible crime, and health concerns that might come with a gas station.
“We had a lot of defenses, a lot of reasons why they should not be there and now we feel like our three subdivisions are safe for now,” said Camlet-Agresta.
So, neighbors will wait and see what happens, but they know what they’ll do if this project comes back to life in the future.
Anthony Agresta, a neighbor, said: “We’ll be back, and we will sue the city and we will prevail and if we don’t prevail, it will take us two years to get to that decision they’re not going to wait two years. This project is dead.”
Parker’s Kitchen can’t be approved for this location for at least a year.
Parker’s Kitchen officials say they’re still excited about investing in this area, with their other two locations.
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