Concern over a proposed new Dollar General location at 2953 Westfield Road and the intersection of Quaker Road has gotten the attention of residents in Sheltontown who are worried about what the addition of one of the seemingly ubiquitous stores may mean to their community.
A sign sits on the corner of Quaker and Westfield announcing an upcoming rezoning hearing, but those opposed to the plan have said the sign is often obscured by a bush or facing the wrong way. They wonder if residents can see the sign and if they are even aware that a rezoning may be forthcoming.
Therefore, a community meeting has been organized to coordinate a response when they speak to the planning board Monday. They are meeting at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 10, at the picnic shelter at Shelton Church of the Brethren, 1065 Quaker Road, Mount Airy, to discuss their plans.
“Sunday’s meeting will give us an opportunity to pool important information and develop a list of citizens willing to speak during the planning meeting,” local resident Melissa Hiatt said of the meeting she and Heather Moore are planning.
Moore and her husband Heath Moore are the proprietors of Moore’s General Store who operate their family-owned market just four tenths of a mile from the proposed new location. Within four miles from the planned location are also the Flat Rock, Main Street, and Airport Road locations of Dollar General.
In Surry County Dollar General is a retail force to be reckoned with, already boasting over a dozen stores within the county lines. The Surry County Board of County Commissioners have been told that there is an ongoing plan to grow the footprint of Dollar Generals in the county even further.
“We built three new ones in the last three years, Beulah, Cook School Road, and the one at Zephyr, with (Mount View Drive) being the fourth,” Joe Strickland of Teramore Development told the board of commissioners on June 6. He mentioned new store designs are now the norm with larger footprints that carry more variety of items.
Commissioner Larry Johnson remarked about the number of Dollar Generals in the county saying that he seems them all the time as he drives around, “I don’t have much else to do,” he quipped. More seriously though he noted that the stores appear to be doing a brisk business, “They seem to be doing well.”
It may be the convenience factor of a quick pop in for bread, milk, and shampoo that makes the yellow sign of DG on the horizon a welcome sight to some. That bright yellow signage however makes others see red, and residents have signed a petition that Moore said as of Friday morning had over 850 signatures.
Opposition to land rezone requests are rare. Often when the planning board’s recommendation reached the county commissioners the board will ask if there was any opposition; rarely has there been any.
The last Dollar General to come before the planning committee and reach the commissioners sailed through the approval process. Vice Chair Eddie Harris asked development services director Marty Needham is the rezoning request for 120 Mount View Drive had met with any pushback. Rather than finding opposition to the new store, Needham informed the residents of the area were looking forward to having the additional options.
This is where Sheltontown differs from the past proposed locations.
Preserving the quality of life for the residents of Sheltontown is their number one concern, so too is protecting the land for the future. “If we sell off rural America, what will be left for generations to come?” Moore asked thinking about her four-year-old son. “He’ll grow up here. Even if we weren’t business owners we would be against this plan.”
Moore’s General Store is their family business, she said. After time being horse trainers and cattle farmers, they settled in to running the store and making it an essential part of the community they serve.
She has stories aplenty of the difference having a small independent store like theirs can make, and how much their customer appreciate it. Being open 364 days a year for seven years, closed only on Christmas day, has established their general store as a place people can count on. Moore wonders if any box store can offer the same.
“In winter of 2017 a snowstorm crippled our community, the roads hadn’t been plowed. Heath drove our 4-wheel drive tractor from our farm to the store. We were the only store open in a 5-mile radius, the DOT drivers appreciated a warm coffee and snacks to keep them going.”
The Sheltontown opposition group is not opposed Dollar General specifically but rather the growth of larger retailers in their rural community. The Moore’s have had offers to sell their store, but they have no interest in that, “We refuse to put a price on it because it is a part of this community. We didn’t’ buy this to flip it.”
A grander sense of community is what is driving the opposition and they are looking at increased traffic flow, property values, eyesore blight, and the possibility of increases in crime that may follow. Calls have been made to the Mount Airy Police Department and the Surry County Sheriff’s Office to obtain crime stats for areas around DG locations.
BJ Elmore also has direct concerns involving the wildlife of the area, “The bright lights will confuse nocturnal animals, therefore, disrupting their natural instincts. The paved parking lot will increase chances of pollution and runoff from so many vehicles.”
Others wonder if the store is even needed with Hiatt suggesting a lack of need in that area, “We have two very well rooted family run stores in the community, both stores are more than a gas station or a place to grab a snack. They are run by our own people who are part of our community family. They are always open and have yet to close one day due to lack of staff – that’s impressive.”
Moore concurs, “We are the community store that has served the Sheltontown area for over 50 years. A store that many houses in the community have been built around. A store that takes a step back in time while providing modern day amenities.”
For the 800+ residents of the area who signed on to the petition, the concerns outweigh the possible benefits of adding another Dollar General. Only time will tell if their pushback will be enough, but theirs is an example of a community deciding to coalesce to save the rural way of life so many of them desire.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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