'This is not OK': Residents concerned over potential Dollar General in Harrison Township

Dollar General is exploring building a new store along Ohio 16 in Harrison Township, but residents are raising concerns about the problematic small box retailer being in their neighborhood.

There could potentially be a Dollar General on the northeast corner of the Ohio 16 (Columbus Road) and Ephriam Drive SW intersection. The 3.1-acre property has a Granville mailing address, but is between Pataskala and Granville, just west of the Ohio State Highway Patrol barracks on Ohio 16.

The property is zoned for commercial development and is currently owned by D.R. Horton, the developer of the Ellington Village subdivision, which is north and west of the property.

Ellington Village residents said they do not want to see a Dollar General at the entrance to their subdivision, citing concerns over safety, traffic, noise, property values and more.

Township zoning and Licking County Planning Commission officials said last week no formal plans have been submitted to either office.

Jay Fisher, the county planning commission's assistant planning manager and special projects planner, said via email that the county has only had informal conversations with the developer to discuss regulatory and process information for the potential project.

Emma Hall, Dollar General’s public relations coordinator, said via email that the company is in the "due diligence phase" for a new location.

"This means we are reviewing the opportunity to add a new store in Licking County, but we have not committed to doing so just yet," Hall said. "Based on our current timeline, we anticipate having a final decision by summer 2024."

If Dollar General moves forward, the project would go through an architectural review process before coming before Harrison Township's Zoning Commission, said Valerie Hans, township zoning inspector.

Benjamin McGee, who has lived in Ellington Village since 2022, said he is against a potential Dollar General store because of the harmful impacts they have on communities.

"My values don't align with what their brand is, which is extract as much money from the community as possible, while giving back as little as possible and taking advantage of the most disadvantaged people," he said.

According to a report published last year by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 92% of Dollar General workers earn less than $15 per hour and the median annual salary for a Dollar General worker was just $14,571 in 2019. The report also stated the small-box retailer relies on a “lean” labor model, indicating they understaff their stores.

Because of a focus on minimizing costs, dollar chain stores are unsafe by design with inadequate staffing and minimal security features and equipment, according to the report.

"In Dayton, Ohio, where more than one quarter of all commercial robberies in 2019 took place at Dollar General stores, a police detective called such dollar stores 'robbery magnets,'" the report states.

Dollar General also paid $1 million last year to settle a lawsuit over allegations of deceptive pricing practices at its Ohio stores. The money was split among food banks and hunger relief organizations.

McGee has created a website, https://www.nogranvilledg.org, as a way to inform Ellington Village residents and other Harrison Township residents. He also created an online petition that had more than 110 signatures as of Friday afternoon — all from people who live Ellington Village.

McGee said he plans on submitting the petition to D.R. Horton to let the developer know residents are not happy with this possibility.

Sara McCartney, who has lived in Ellington Village since July 2022, said among her top concerns are traffic and safety. She said the Ohio 16 and Ephriam Drive intersection is already dangerous. When she travels west on Ohio 16 and slows down to turn right on Ephriam Drive, cars behind her will often use a left turn lane to pass her vehicle so they don't have to slow down.

There were also concerns from Ellington Village residents whether there would be an entrance to the potential store directly from Ohio 16 or if vehicles, including delivery trucks, would have to use Ephriam Drive.

Residents said they understand the property will develop, but they want to see other businesses there instead. McCartney said she wants to see a business that would benefit the neighborhood, such as a restaurant, bank, hardware store, medical office or a locally owned grocery store like Ross' Granville Market.

"This is a small community, a small town. We prefer supporting local," she said. "Does local come with a higher price tag? Typically, yes. But I would rather pay more and support somebody local than I would lining the pockets of a big corporation."

McGee said he plans on notifying Dollar General of the community's opposition and the petition. He said he'll share with the retailer that residents will not use the store and will make it as difficult as they can for the company.

"We're happy as a community to have anything go up there, but this is not OK," he said of the Dollar General proposal.

McGee wants to reach out to Aldi and Kroger, which operates some small-format stores, to get them to purchase the property instead.

He said the impact of a Dollar General would stretch beyond Ellington Village, and thinks that residents of Harrison Township, Granville and Pataskala should be concerned.

"The important thing is, it's not about one community," McGee said. "This is about our whole community — and all these things bring is suffering everywhere they go."

mdevito@gannett.com

740-607-2175

Twitter: @MariaDeVito13

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Residents concerned over potential Dollar General in Harrison Township