CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – With two stores now open on the Northshore, retailer Dollar General is looking to build two more stores in Lake County.
The Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based corporation opened its Clearlake Oaks store, located at 13090 E. Highway 20, on Saturday.
Its first store, located at 3577 E. State Highway 20 in Nice, opened Jan. 31.
Dollar General is termed a “small box” retailer – with a smaller overall store size – as opposed to big box retailers like Walmart and Kmart.
Cross Development of Plano, Texas – acting on behalf of Dollar General – has submitted applications for use permits and initial studies for new stores locations in Kelseyville and Middletown. The company also handled the development of the Clearlake and Nice stores.
Michalyn DelValle, a senior planner with Lake County Community Development, told Lake County News that she is now processing the use permits for the two new store proposals.
DelValle said she anticipates scheduling the Kelseyville location's permit for the Lake County Planning Commission's meeting on May 28.
According to the applications, the Kelseyville location, at 4315 Douglas St. and 5505 Main St., is located directly across from Kelseyville High School.
The land is owned by Bernard and Lynne Butcher, owners of the Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing Saloon in Upper Lake.
The Middletown location, 20900 S. Highway 29, is owned by Louis and Ann Neve of Petaluma. A parcel map also is being processed to subdivide the property into two parcels.
The applications say that both stores are proposed to be 9,100 square feet in size, the same size as the Clearlake Oaks and Nice stores.
Each of the stores will employ at least four staffers, according to county documents. Dollar General said its stores typically have between six and 10 employees.
The Middletown Area Town Hall was to have discussed the Middletown store proposal at its Friday night meeting, but it was tabled until the group's next meeting because MATH Board Chair Fletcher Thornton said they wanted more information before taking up the matter.
He said MATH already had voted to reject the Dollar General concept at that location during a preapplication meeting with county officials regarding the store.
Thornton said MATH indicated to the developers at that time that the majority of people at the MATH meetings were opposed to the store.
“Nevertheless, they have made an application for a major use permit to allow the Dollar General to go on Highway 29,” Thornton said.
Thornton said MATH didn't have any information about the plans, including where on the property the store will be placed, how much of the land will be used and whether turn lanes will be installed.
“There's just not enough information for us, in my opinion, to make a real strong argument to the planning department that we're opposed to it,” he said.
So Thornton tabled the discussion until the MATH meeting in May, at which time it will be the only agenda discussion topic.
He said MATH intends to invite the developers to the May meeting to hear their side.
“This Dollar General thing is an emotional issue,” he said. “We need to give everyone a chance to talk about it.”
There were similar concerns on the Northshore when Dollar General major use permits were approved by the Lake County Planning Commission last year, as Lake County News has reported.
Three business owners appealed the decision regarding the Nice store to the Board of Supervisors, arguing that their livelihoods would be harmed.
Ultimately, the supervisors upheld the decision, allowing the store's construction and opening to move forward.
The company's Web site is www.dollargeneral.com .
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Dollar General applies for two more Lake County store locations
- Elizabeth Larson
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