The Guilford County Planning Department is seeing a red hot new trend across the county: Dollar Generals and small stores like it are popping up all over like mushrooms after a big rain in summer.
On Wednesday, Dec. 12, the Guilford County Planning Board heard a rezoning case for yet another Dollar General – this one in southeastern Guilford County at the intersection of Alamance Church Road and Old Julian Road. The rezoning was approved on a 5-to-1 vote despite opposition from some residents in the area.
Guilford County Planning Director Leslie Bell said he hasn’t gone back and totaled the number of stores that have gone up in Guilford County lately, but he said it’s quite striking. He said he’d become so interested in what was going on that he began researching it and he said it’s part of a national phenomenon.
“To me, it’s reminiscent of Wal-Mart years ago,” he said of the trend.
He said Wal-Marts and big box stores might have cause to worry since it looks like soon these smaller stores will be just about everywhere.
“I used to call them corner stores,” Bell said.
He added that, though these are somewhat like corner stores of old, they’re evolving. For instance, while the in past the stores have looked like a boring brick boxes, he said the stores now often have architecture that mimics the surroundings. The coming Dollar General addressed at the meeting Wednesday night is going to have a “country” appearance, he said.
He also said Dollar Generals and similar stores are starting to do things like sell fresh fruits and vegetables. Bell said he thought the opening of the Renaissance Community Coop may have had some influence on that added service for Guilford County stores. That Coop brought fresh healthier foods to a section of east Greensboro that had limited food choices.
He said he read that about 450 Dollar General stores would be selling fresh fruits and vegetables. The new store at Alamance Church Road and Old Julian Road will do so.
Bell said there’s often some opposition from those in the neighborhood, but added that others who live nearby want the convenience of a, well, convenient store – especially since a lot of these locations have little retail available.
Bell also said that developers had been doing a very good job recently of meeting with neighbors when a store was about to go up.
“Sometimes they meet with them before we even know about it,” Bell said.
I have boycotted the Dollar General in Brown Summit, and will never shop at one. They put a store where it doesn’t belong or fit with the neighborhood. It’s a travesty.
Stores like these help increase county tax revenue. So would an increase in your taxes. So, which would you prefer?
I live on the corner where they want to build this travesty! The people out here do not want nor need this Dollar General. There are 14 within a 10 mile radius. There’s one 2 miles away. If people want to shop there, they can drive to that one! I bought my land out here to live in the country, not city! We don’t want to open the door for stores like DG and others like it. The lady who owns the property lied at the zoning meeting by saying there was no where out here to buy milk, bread, etc! Bull! There’s 3 convenient stores that sell those and much more, plus we have Homeland Creamery! She also lied when she said everyone at the developers meeting wanted it! No, they did not! Only her and one other lady. Everyone else was against it. She doesn’t even live out here. She lives right at the city by another DG! Of course she’ll say anything to sell her property, including LIE! The petition we circulated speaks for itself, no one out here wants it!
I actually live down the road from there and I am excited about the opening of the Dollar General.
I am not aware of 1 that is only 2 miles away. Yes there is a convenient store right across from where they are building it but the prices they charge on stuff is insane.