Dollar General going ‘residential’ with move
Making the proposed new Dollar General Store palatable to local residents was top priority during town of Farragut Staff-Developer meeting Feb. 28.
The new store would be built along Kingston Pike just west of Fox Den and would replace the current store in the old Ingles shopping center.
The Town is requiring the new store to have a more “residential” appearance to blend in with its surroundings.
Developer Michael Schaad, an owner at JMB Investment Co., LLC in Knoxville, was at the conference table looking for feedback from Town staff before his request moves on to Farragut Planning Commission meeting Thursday, March 16. His brother and nephew were in the room to watch the proceedings.
Tim Dunaway, JMB senior project manager who after the meeting said he and Schaad had built dozens of Dollar General stores and Advance Auto Parts stores in the Southeast, Midwest and Texas, did most of the talking for the pair. He unrolled an elevation drawing that featured brick and colored metal panels — special concessions to the Town. The new store would go on one of about four available commercial lots at the site. Space for future residential development would be available behind the businesses.
The lot for the new Dollar General is on “family land.”
“We own this with the Schuberts,” Schaad said. “This is a stand-alone piece. We’ve owned this property for quite a while. We thought we’d do a deeper development, but the zoning is what it is. We’re not wishing it was more.”
Residents David Smith and Mikie Lancaster, who live in the Townhomes at Wentworth across Kingston Pike from the proposed store, were on hand to check things out for themselves.
Smith said he was concerned about what kind of building was being proposed, whether it would add or subtract from the value of his property, and how the business would affect traffic flow.
“Will there be a sidewalk along Kingston Pike?” Lancaster asked.
She was assured there would be a walking trail in front of the store that would eventually tie to walking trails on the properties beside the store.
“My thing on this is making sure all four elevations look residential — not just the front,” said Mark Shipley, Community Devel-opment director.
“Dollar General wants the community to be happy,” Dunaway said, adding after the meeting, “It’s closer to approval.”
