Reject the Dollar General In Middletown: Respect the Middletown Area Plan

Dear Lake County Planning Commission:

Community Members below would like to reaffirm their contention that the Dollar General as currently proposed does not comply with the Middletown Area Plan (MAP) or the intent of the MAP. We respectfully request that the Dollar General be rejected as currently proposed.

We have submitted two petitions which referenced numerous MAP guidelines that the current design does not conform to. Each of these petitions were signed by hundreds of local residents and submitted to the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission in meetings in July and August of 2016. You have records of these. Likewise the project was rejected by community members at public meetings at the Middletown Area Town Hall (MATH), the community forum for discussing such matters, by a vast majority of between 90 -95% of attendees who voted against the store in the current location with current design. The majority (80%) of these citizens are also against the store brand being present in the greater MAP area. We have come Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors meetings to ask you to reject this project. We have presented more desirable options for designs that the Dollar General itself implemented in other locations. We have written and are aware of others numerous letters opposing the design and location submitted to you.

We remind you of these letters now in public record rather than rewrite them: We are concerned about the store's proximity to our public schools; we are concerned about pedestrian safety and increased traffic impacts; we are concerned about a negative impact on local business and adjacent residences; and we are concerned about the many ways the Dollar General design does not comply with the Middletown or General Area Plan (please see letters by MAMA, Kimberly Haynie, Victoria Brandon and others).

The Middletown Area Plan (MAP) states: “There will continue to be a high level of community participation in planning for future development. The design review process for new development projects will include higher standards and include more public involvement (Section 2-17, page 31).” Please respect this directive, as the document was approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2010 after much investment of funds, time and energy in the difficult task of community members of various opinions and visions for the future of Middletown reaching an agreement.

Also in the minutes of the Planning Commission meeting 8/25 is a quote by Mr. Dell (speaking on behalf of Dollar General) expressing a "commitment to work with community". But real dialogue between community members and Mr. Dell did not occur following the August meeting. Rather a proposal was submitted and rejected, with no further conversation with a group of local citizens or the committee advised by the Planning Commission.

As former Supervisor Ed Robey stated: The intent of the Middletown Area Plan is to “avoid big box and chain stores”, of which there currently are none. The Dollar General would set an unusual and contentious precedent. Of note is the fact that the road into the store paves the way for additional strip mall development. Strip Mall development is also in conflict with the intent of the Middletown Area Plan.

Thank you for your consideration.