At a joint public hearing on Monday, Oct. 5, the Drakes Branch Town Council and Drakes Branch Planning Commission welcomed community input concerning the proposed rezoning request from Par 5 Development Group, LLC.

During the joint hearing, Development Manager Rich Smith, said Par 5 was the prospective purchaser of a plot of land located at the corner of Highways 47 and 59 to build a 9,100 square foot Dollar General Store. However, Par 5 proposed a zoning change request from the current agriculture zone A-1 and R-1 zoning to retail/commercial zoning.

“This store will be very beneficial to the community,” said Smith. Smith went on the say that the proposed Dollar General store will be the latest prototype and contain a greater variety of coolers to contain more stock, packaged foods and dry foods.

A motion was made by the Drakes Branch Planning Commission to recommend the matter to the Drakes Branch Town Council. The council voted to approve the rezoning request from Par 5 Development Group, LLC.

According to Smith, after the approval of the rezoning request, another 60 days of engineering is to take place.

Dollar General Store’s are typically built within a time frame of 100 days, although winter weather may create delays. Smith said construction on the Drakes Branch Dollar General Project is slated to begin around January.

According to Par 5 Development Group, LLC, “Par 5 Development Group, LLC is a commercial real estate development and management company based in Aberdeen, North Carolina. …Par 5 has been a preferred developer for Dollar General since 2009.”

The company has built over 70 Dollar General stores throughout Virginia and North Carolina.