GRIFTON — The potential construction of a new Dollar General near the Grifton’s youth baseball field drew mixed concerns at the February meeting of the Grifton Board of Commissioners.
The discussion coincides with a request from Glandon Forest Equity LLC to rezone 2.08 acres of land owned by Loede Brooks Harper, Cynthia Lee Harper and Drew S. Harper on N.C. 118 from R-10 residential to B-1 highway commercial. The board unanimously voted to hold a public hearing on the request in March.
Chris Cox addressed the board on behalf of Glandon Forest because the town planning board made an unfavorable recommendation for the development. He said that the company wants to do everything that it can to become more favorable in the community.
Cox specifically wanted to address questions and concerns about the Dollar General being close to the kid’s baseball field and traffic and get feedback from the board about issues that have been raised.
Cox said he would like to speak with people in charge of the baseball field because the company has some ideas that can help them with their growth.
Loede Harper said that they were excited about selling the land, and her family thought others would be excited about it too because there isn’t very much going on in that area commercially, and that area seems to be growing.
Harper said that she heard that in the future the baseball park wanted to expand in the direction of where the Dollar General would be constructed, and that the Harpers would be willing to offer first right of refusal to the town or the Grifton Baseball League for the section of land in the other direction away from the road for what they might be interested in doing with that section of land as a solution to their expansion.
Harper says she sees the Dollar General or any business wanting to open there as growth for the town and generating more revenue and commerce.
“I feel like it’s enough of the pie to go around for everybody to have a slice — we used to have three grocery stores on Queen Street back in the Dupont Days, and things are growing now,” said Harper. “The more the town of Grifton has to offer people, the more people may be interested to be here.”
Mayor Billy Ray Jackson said that his main concern is how the Dollar General would negatively impact the Food Pride grocery store owned by Buddy Huggins, especially since there would be two Dollar Generals operating at the same time as the grocery store.
Cox said that they have had all permits ready to go since April, the only thing they need is board approval, and if they get turned down, they will lose a lot of time and money already invested.
“If we must pick it up and move, we’re ready to offer the Grifton Baseball League $10,000 to spend however they want because it will cost us that to move, and we would rather give it to the kids.
Justin Oakes, vice president of the Grifton Baseball League, said that the town allocates $6,000 for the nonprofit annually. That basically covers their utilities as far as lights and water, and he raised concerns of the Dollar General negatively affecting his concession stand sales, which funds a great deal of their expenses.
Buddy Huggins said that his grocery store will suffer if another Dollar General opens in Grifton, and that they are barely making it now as it is.
Police Chief Deric Dennis said that he is all for a new Dollar General opening and shutting the existing Dollar General down. He’s not for all the garbage that is going to be blowing around a few weeks later like the litter-ridden area near the current location.
The board will vote on the request after the formal public hearing at the March 12 board meeting.
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