DOLLAR stores have been banned from a city as it is focused on preserving the quality of life for current and future residents.
Residents of Joseph, a small rural town in northeast Oregon, are against building new dollar stores because they would take up space for other small businesses.
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The move to add a ban on “formula businesses” was encouraged by local entrepreneur Erika Polmar who co-founded No Dollar General, OPM reported on Sunday.
Polmar highlighted how Dollar General wanted to open multiple new stores in the area after one was already successfully built.
A formula business is described by Joseph as a retailer that sticks to the same structure at most of its chains.
This covers most chain stores and restaurants from opening new stores in Joseph.
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“Prescribed standards and features, particularly for exterior color schemes, signs or architectural design,” the ordinance said, per OPM.
NO WARNING
Once residents became aware of the plan for dollar stores to be built in their city they pushed back immediately.
“The city of Joseph got a lot of pressure at their most recent planning commission meeting and the City Hall was being flooded with calls and emails from citizens saying that they wanted to make sure that the city was protected,” Polmar said.
“Thankfully, the City Council and the city administrators listened and took action very quickly.
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The planning director approved the development permits for the Dollar General store without notifying nearby residents or issuing a public notice.
The director justified this by stating that the store’s development was an outright allowed use for the commercial/industrial zones.
It also claimed no parties beyond 100 feet from the site would be adversely affected.
The use of the executive review process meant there was no public transparency or opportunity for community input on the decision.
Residents believe this lack of accountability could negatively impact the quality of life in the city.
A Facebook post explaining the matter received a comment from a resident who noted how people in charge are not being considerate.
No more!!! This is a very important meeting, and based upon the president set by those in charge, they could line 82 with BS chains that would decimate our local businesses. This unchecked power HAS to be stopped
Meg Bowen
“No more!!! This is a very important meeting, and based upon the president set by those in charge, they could line 82 with BS chains that would decimate our local businesses,” Meg Bowen commented on the post.
“This unchecked power HAS to be stopped.”
FOOD DESERT
Dollar General is known for popping its stores up in places that are considered food deserts.
Food deserts do not have a lot of places to shop for and dollar stores end up dominating the area instead of fresh grocery stores.
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“The thing that Dollar General does well is that they target low-income communities and communities that are struggling,” Polmar said, per OPM.
“Unfortunately, they will have business because people are keen on finding a bargain.”
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https://www.the-sun.com/news/11737372/dollar-stores-joseph-oregon-ban-food-desert-crime/