Dollar General unveils plan for Wiscasset store

Tue, 01/29/2019 - 8:45am

The former Huber’s Market building on Route 1 will be razed to make way for a proposed Dollar General if the project wins approval from the Wiscasset Planning Board. The board reviewed plans for the bargain retail store Monday night.

Matt Casey, principal and vice president of Zaremba Group, hopes to have all the necessary permitting to break ground in the spring. The Lakewood, Ohio-based Zaremba Group will lease the property to Dollar General Corporation.

Casey said the new 9,100 square foot building will look similar to other Dollar General stores in Maine. “They’re typically open from 8 to 10 p.m., although they may decide to scale back the hours depending on business.” The store’s entrance will face Route 1. The building will be set back further than the closed convenience store is. The planned 34-space parking area will be between the new store and Ship’s Chow Hall restaurant next door. Merchandise will be delivered at the back of the building.

Lighting is typically one thing people want to know about, Casey continued. The lights in the parking lot and the lighted sign on the front of the building will turn off half an hour after the store closes, he said.

Chris Nadeau of Nobis Engineering said because the store’s construction involves filling a small amount of wetland, state Department of Environmental Protection permitting is needed. A retention pond is planned on the  eight-acre  property to control runoff. A Maine Department of Transportation permit is also needed because the waterline is on the opposite side of Route 1, he added. Nadeau is seeking a waiver on the application to raise the grade of the entrance from Route 1 into the parking area.

Nobis Engineering based in Concord, New Hampshire has designed a number of other Dollar General stores, most recently the ones in Union and Livermore, said Nadeau.

The board asked Casey to provide it with letters of approval from the water district and the town’s sewer and fire departments. The board also set a site inspection for 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7. A public hearing date wasn’t scheduled. After one is, Casey is required to notify property abutters of the project and the hearing date.

Dollar General is a retail chain of bargain variety stores selling household products including food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, family apparel, housewares, seasonal items and paper products. Dollar General Corporation is headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee and operates 15,000 stores, according to its website.