KSJD Local Newscast - November 15, 2024

Whether a Dollar General store will eventually be built on Road N just off Highway 145 in Montezuma County remains up in the air. Developer Douglas Kinsey told KSJD in a phone interview Friday that he and Leaf Properties, the Georgia corporation that applied to build the store, will continue to submit proposals for the 4-acre tract. The county commissioners voted 2 to 1 on April 23 to reject a high-impact permit for the retail outlet. Word has spread that another proposal has been submitted, but Kinsey said Friday that nothing official has been posted. At hearings this spring before the county commissioners and the Planning and Zoning Commission, local residents voiced concerns about traffic safety, noise, lighting, crime, and fire safety in the dryland area. They argued that the store would harm neighboring property values and the area’s rural character. Leaf Properties filed suit against the county in District Court on May 28 over the rejection. The court has not yet ruled. Kinsey told KSJD that because the tract is zoned commercial, the store is “a matter of right.” However, commissioners Gerald Koppenhafer and Kent Lindsay, who voted against the proposal, said at the April hearing that commercial zoning doesn’t mean every type of business is acceptable. Kinsey said he is disappointed the commissioners declined to meet with him to provide guidance on what would be acceptable. He said, “We will continue to make submissions until we find something that they will approve.”