A community meeting will be held Monday January 19, 2015 at 7 pm (snow date January 21, 2015 at 7 pm) in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia to discuss growing public concern about a proposed Dollar General Store in southern Morgan County.
The meeting will be held at Union Chapel United Methodist Church (10123 Valley Road Berkeley Springs, WV 25411).
Local residents have expressed concerns about increased traffic and resulting safety problems if a Dollar General store goes in at the proposed site — at the corner of US 522 and Oakland Road.
Legal questions have been raised, including about Dollar General’s requests for numerous waivers from Morgan County ordinances. Residents have also raised concerns about the proposed chain store undermining locally owned businesses and the placement of the store in a rural area, close to Cacapon State Park and a local community church.
“Dollar General already has a store in Berkeley Springs,” said Rita Donadieu, a local resident who helped organize the meeting. “There is also a Family Dollar in Berkeley Springs. Two dollar stores are enough for our small community. We don’t need another one. We’re concerned about safety problems, with vehicles flying down a two lane highway coming upon other vehicles braking to turn into a Dollar General on Oakland Road. And we’re concerned about the Dollar General changing the rural nature of our community.”
At the January 19 meeting, speakers from the community will address traffic and safety issues, sprawl, how the Dollar General will undermine local businesses, the upcoming planning commission meeting, the impact on the watershed, and how the Dollar General will change the rural nature of the community.