Dollar General proposed for Rice

Published 9:26 pm Wednesday, January 11, 2017

The Prince Edward County Planning Commission is set to consider a special use permit for a Dollar General store in Rice on Tuesday.

The public hearing, along with several others, will be held at 7 p.m. in the board of supervisors’ room on the third floor of the county courthouse.

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The commission will submit a recommendation either in support or opposition to the project to county supervisors, who have the final say on the permit application.

If the permit is approved, the store would be constructed at the southwest corner of the intersection of Prince Edward Highway (U.S. 460) and Rice’s Depot Road.

Par 3 Development Group LLC (P3DG) submitted the request, which states the store would occupy about 7,500 square feet and have 31 parking spaces, according to county documents.

The property is zoned A1 as an Agricultural Conservation District, and, as stated in the zoning classification, requires  such a permit for retail sales.

According to the request, the proposed site is just under 2 acres.

P3DG’s proposal includes an ingress/egress lane with a right-turn lane in addition to a truck loading and unloading area with a dumpster pad, and includes buffer and parking lot landscaping and stormwater management practices.

“All measures will be taken to ensure safety and compatibility with adjacent and nearby properties,” the request states.

According to the request, nighttime-friendly lighting and cut-off shields would be used to eliminate light pollution.

“Par 3 Development Group believes there is enough justification to grant a special use permit for the aforementioned development,” the request concludes.

The meeting is open to the public.

The Prince Edward Courthouse is located on Main Street in downtown Farmville.