New CVS store to be larger, but difficult to enter

A new CVS pharmacy at the northeast corner of Third Street and the 45/46 Bypass is sure to add a new twist to the traffic patterns on the east side. \nCVS is currently located at the west end of Eastland Plaza, but the new store will be in a more visible, higher traffic location. The new store will be bigger as well; growing from 7,500 square feet to 10,880 square feet.\nMike DeAngelif, a spokesperson for CVS said the new location, opening in November, would have more variety and have its own dedicated parking lot instead of sharing a lot with other strip mall businesses. \nJim Roach, zoning planner for Bloomington said the new CVS would add in excess of 1,300 cars a day. Another lot adjacent to the CVS has not been sold, but is expected to become an office or a restaurant. Roach said this could boost the number of cars by another 1,000 per day.\nThere will be two entrance and exit points for the CVS, and traffic will be restricted to a right entrance and a right exit at both Third Street and the Bypass. Because Third Street is separated by a raised median, there is no possibility of a left turn in or out of the intersection. \nThe Bypass, which is a state highway under the jurisdiction of the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), will also be a right-in/right-out intersection, said Jim Ude at INDOT's district offices in Seymour. \nCurrently, the shortage of lanes on the Bypass would cause traffic jams if CVS customers were allowed to make left turns in and out of the store. \nRoach said the street into CVS from the Bypass might one day be continued to the Barnes and Noble shopping center, serving as another place for customers to access CVS. \nWhile the two restricted entrance/exit points would seem to cast a shadow on the viability of this site, DeAngelif is confident the new location will be an improvement for everyone.\n"We're confident that it will be easy to access by the customer," DeAngelif said.\nMike Diekhoff, the city council member representing the district CVS is located in, was surprised by CVS' decision to move. He said he did not know of any temporary fixes until the Bypass improvements. \n"I'm surprised they picked that location. You'll still be able to get in and out, but it will be difficult for traffic," Diekhoff said.\nFrank Nierzwicki, transportation manager for the city, felt that patrons would become accustomed to the traffic control.\n"Drivers are very intelligent; they pick up very quickly what they can do and what they can't," Nierzwicki said.\nHe said in such a high volume area, safety is paramount. This is why right-in/right-out intersections were favored over open intersections.\nAs well as a CVS, new health offices are being built on Third Street next to the First Baptist Church-United Church of Christ. Debi O'Heran said the new medical building will complement the architecture of the church.\n"It's going to be a gorgeous looking building. It's going to go aesthetically with the church," she said. \nDonato's Pizzeria, a Columbus, Ohio based restaurant chain, is also entering the Bloomington market. Owned by McDonald's, Donato's will be located between Bank One and Chi Chi's in Eastland Plaza. The site was previously occupied by Steak 'n Shake.\nChris O'Rourke, a spokesperson for Donato's was very excited about the new Bloomington location. She cited two main advantages of the site.\n"It's a fabulous location, with the traffic patterns," O'Rourke said. "The population is fabulous."\nO'Rourke also said Donato's would target college students and young professionals, along with families. The Donato's will offer delivery to college students and also have a pick-up window for call-ahead orders. \nDonato's has almost 30 Indianapolis area locations and has been in the market for a store in Bloomington for about a year. \nDon Porter, the city's traffic control manager, did not have any plans to alleviate congestion specifically at the CVS or Donato's locations, but does have plans for the entire College Mall area. \nOnce the College Mall Road project is complete, a fiber-optic link will be installed along the road, creating a closed-loop system. This will connect all the signals along College Mall Road and synchronize them with each other. This synchronization is used along both Walnut Street and College Avenue downtown, but neither employ the use of fiber-optic cables. \nCameras are also being installed at every intersection along College Mall Road. These will work with the fiber-optic system to ensure traffic flows and does not stop-and-start at every light.\nPorter said he would like to see this fiber-optic loop extended to Third Street eastbound from Eastland Plaza. Since this is also State Road 46, it is under INDOT jurisdiction. Porter plans on working with INDOT when they begin the Bypass project to try to make the fiber-optic loop a joint effort between the city and INDOT.