Gillett community gives input on Dollar General

Majority are in favor of store, but in a new location
By: 
Luke Reimer
Reporter

The Gillett Zoning Board of Appeals heard a mixed bag of opinions Jan. 6 during a public hearing to gauge community support for a proposed Dollar General. Many community members in attendance said they were not opposed to the new store but had concerns about its proposed location on Pine Street.

“For a small town, this is almost like an anchor store for Green Bay,” said Gillett resident Jerry Luther, who added the Dollar General would be an asset to the community. “You have a name brand coming in that is going to bring people in. It is also going to build our base.”

Luther said he thinks bringing in more businesses will draw more out-of-towners to the community.

“When the Family Dollar came into town, I owned the Shell on the highway,” he said. “I thought, ‘There goes my business.’ That wasn’t the case; my business picked up.”

Kathy Wynkoop, who lives on Pine Street, said she agreed with Luther’s thoughts but doesn’t think the store should be built on Pine Street.

“It is a residential area,” said Wynkoop. “I do not want this on my street. I don’t want the congestion of the traffic, garbage and noise.”

Alderperson Matthew Stroik, who owns property on Pine Street, echoed the thoughts of Wynkoop.

“Looking at the drawing that I saw, there is only one entrance,” said Stroik. “People don’t want big semi-trucks going all day into that entrance.”

Gillett resident John Lang said Dollar General should look for a location that wouldn’t cause an inconvenience for local residents.

“If it was up the road by the gas station, that would be a bigger area for parking and a flow of people,” said Lang.

Other Pine Street residents said they worry about the depreciation of their property.

Wendy Vorpahl, who owns a business in Gillett, said that she posted a poll online to get community members’ thoughts on the new store.

“It looks like, out of 104 people, 73 of them said no,” said Vorpahl, who added she is not able to track which respondents live in or outside Gillett.

Caroline Lang, Gillett resident, said community officials need to be thinking about the long haul and the future of the city.

“We are all going to be excited of this new business,” said Lang. “But it will hurt us in the long run. We have to build a strong future for our kids and their kids.”

Alderperson Marie Blaser said that Dollar General wants to be on a main highway instead of a back alley.

Todd Platt, Dollar General developer, agreed and said he appreciated the public input.

“Dollar General tells us which communities they want to develop in,” said Platt. “We have put them in communities much smaller than Gillett, and we have put them in communities where they have co-existed with Family Dollar.”

He added that Dollar General demands a location with constant traffic.

“The properties that we want to rezone are on a highway that currently has an average of 5,000 cars driving it a day,” said Platt. “They are looking for high traffic counts, high visibility and a close proximity to the urban center of the community.”

In response to the concerns about the Pine Street location, Platt said that they looked all over the community for the right spot.

“We need about an acre and a half for the project to work,” said Platt. “We honestly could not find an alternate feasible spot.”

Platt said that the trucks would be unloading in the northwest corner of the building.

“The dock would be facing Pine Street,” said Platt. “All of the truck maneuvering would be done in the parking lot, not on Pine Street.”

Platt also said the new Dollar General would create jobs in Gillett, as they are looking at hiring six to 10 employees for the store.

Two members of the zoning board were absent from the meeting, so the panel decided to table a decision on a recommendation to the city council for a later date.


lreimer@newmedia-wi.com