LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Tuesday vote by the Board of Supervisors will allow plans for a Dollar General store in Nice to move forward.
The board voted 4-1 to deny the appeal lodged by Avtar Singh, owner of Nice Market; Jagtar Singh, owner of Marina Market; and Mohammed Sadiq, who owns the Nice Tower Market, regarding the Lake County Planning Commission's May 8 approval of the store's major use permit.
Board Chair Denise Rushing was the lone dissenting vote. “Community character is the key for me,” she said.
The Nice store will be located at 3539 and 3577 Highway 20. Also on May 8, the commission approved the permit for a store at 13090 E. Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks, which was not part of the appeal.
The two stores are to be about 9,100 square feet each. They will be part of the burgeoning Dollar General presence in California.
The Tennessee-based “small box” retailer, which sells everything from household goods to clothing and some food items, has 11,000 stores nationwide.
Dollar General entered the California market in 2012, and has since opened a number of stores around Northern California.
Store officials have confirmed that three other Lake County locations – including one in Kelseyville – are being considered for Dollar General stores.
The three Northshore businessmen who filed the appeal spoke at the initial hearing on June 10, telling the board that their stores would be harmed – and they may have to close – if the Dollar General was allowed to enter the community.
They did not speak at Tuesday's hearing. However, board members Jim Comstock and Jeff Smith reported receiving messages from Gary Nylander, whose family has for decades owned the Red and White Store in Clearlake Oaks.
Nylander told the supervisors of his concerns about the Dollar General stores and how they could impact local businesses that contribute to community groups and activities.
Smith suggested that businesses like Dollar General should be required to contribute to the community as a condition of approval.
Supervisor Rob Brown pointed out that many existing local businesses don't contribute.
Lake County Chamber Chief Executive Officer Melissa Fulton said the chamber represents more than 4,000 employees and business owners in the county, noting that more than 85 percent of local businesses are small, mom and pops made up of one or two employees.
However, Fulton spoke in favor of allowing Dollar General to come in, explaining that local businesses have to embrace competition.
“Lake County is either open for business or we're not,” she said.
She asked what kind of message the county would be sending to the outside world by rejecting the store. “Will new business want to look at us? Will they consider us?”
Supervisor Anthony Farrington raised concerns about Dollar General's use of prefabricated metal buildings for its stores, which he suggested meant there would be no local contractors or subcontractors used.
Rushing asked Fulton if she thought the Dollar General would bring quality jobs and if it would eliminate existing jobs.
Fulton said jobs that would pay more than minimum wage would have to be created in order to pay for managers.
Lakeport businesswoman Nancy Ruzicka supported granting the appeal, saying that during a recent visit to rural Nebraska she had seen a small town impacted by a Dollar General.
Community Development Director Rick Coel explained to the board that Dollar General always uses prefabricated metal buildings for their stores unless they are going into existing malls.
Dan Dover of Cross Development, who submitted the applications on behalf of Dollar General, said that they do use local subcontractors on building jobs, but they have to be competitive.
Rushing said she wouldn't have an issue with Dollar General if it paid living wages to employees and was consistent with community character. At the same time, she said she was in a difficult spot, because not a lot is going on in Nice. She pointed out that no economic impact analysis was done.
Brown asked what was a living wage, with Rushing suggesting that it was about $12.50 an hour or above locally. Brown said they would have to close the county government down if that were the issue, with Rushing replying that she has a problem with part-time county employment for that reason.
Comstock moved to deny the appeal, with Smith seconding and the board voting 4-1 at the end of the half-hour discussion.
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