City Council on Oct. 9 adopted a resolution granting site-plan approval and parking variances for Graham Square Plaza at 911 Graham Road, clearing the way for an Aldi grocery store to replace a vacant Save A Lot unit and for exterior facade improvements to the plaza.

Planning Director William Cowan told the finance committee and then council that the 4.5-acre parcel is zoned C-3 and that the project includes demolition of about 15,000 square feet of the existing building and construction of a roughly 20,000-square-foot Aldi. Because the property was split into multiple parcels, staff said Parcel A (the plaza building) would show only 9 existing parking spaces on its tax parcel while code requires approximately 200 spaces for the plaza as a whole. The applicant proposed shared-parking arrangements across Parcels A, B and C and addition of 10 spaces on Parcels B and A to serve Aldi.

Pat Valerius, identified as Aldi's national real estate manager, told council the company has lease protections and shared-parking agreements that prevent Parcel C from being redeveloped in a way that would eliminate parking needed by Aldi.

Council discussion focused on the size of the parking variance and the shared-parking agreements. After committee review, council adopted the resolution (2025-201) by roll call; the measure was placed on the council agenda and adopted that evening.

Key project details recorded in committee and council discussion:
- Site: 911 Graham Road (Graham Square Plaza), total about 4.5 acres.
- Proposed Aldi building: approximately 20,000 square feet.
- Demolition: roughly 15,000 square feet (former Save A Lot + adjacent tenant space).
- Parking: Parcel A currently shows 9 spaces and proposes 19; Parcel B shows 84 existing, propose adding 10; Parcel C has 54 spaces to be used primarily by Aldi. The plaza as a whole was estimated to require about 200 spaces under code, prompting the parking variance request.

"We have agreements in our lease and things like that that protect this as parking field for us," Pat Valerius said in committee. "Parcel C is currently all parking...it doesn't have an opportunity to become a building."