- Two corporate dollar stores have been proposed less than two miles apart from each other in Williamston
- Some residents are concerned about decreases in local business sales and breaking the aesthetic appeal of the town
- A petition has already gathered over 500 signatures online
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Missy Palazzolo has owned the family-operated Belles Party Time in Williamston for almost 22 years.
But two proposals in the town have left her, as well as other local residents, with concerns.
Two corporate dollar stores have been proposed to be built in Williamston, less than two miles apart from each other: a Dollar Tree on Grand River Ave. and a Dollar General on Williamston Rd.
Palazzolo's shop was once a locally owned dollar store, but she's had to adjust her services to compete with corporate dollar stores entering the area.
"We were strictly a dollar, and we were that for quite a few years, but as the Dollar Generals and Dollar Trees come in, they could afford what we can’t,” Palazzolo told me. “Over the years we've tried to change, so we put in movies for a while, and that's kind of gone out. We added bait to our store; we’re just trying to change it up as much as we can."
A petition to stop the Dollar General on Williamston Rd. from being built has collected more than 500 signatures. The petition cites fears such as decreases in local business sales and breaking the aesthetic appeal of the town.
Williamston Mayor Tammy Gilroy is empathetic to residents' concerns but told me that the city can't do much to stop them.
Gilroy said, “When it's something that's privately owned and sold, and it meets all criteria in our zoning language, it's a hard train to stop."
Gilroy says the Dollar Tree on Grand River has already been approved for construction by the Williamston planning commission, as long as developers meet certain criteria like a 100-year flood plan, passing soil erosion tests, and drainage requirements. On the other hand, the Dollar General site on Williamston Rd has not reached its final site approval yet.
The mayor says there's not a schedule of construction in place, but there's a chance these dollar stores will appear in a city council meeting next month. We'll continue to follow this story.
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