EDDINGTON, Maine — Town planners held a public hearing Tuesday about a planned 9,300-square-foot Dollar General retail store, and there was only one question, Town Manager Russell Smith said.
“Somebody asked how soon would it be open,” Smith said.
The discount chain store is planned for 1030 Main Road, also known as Route 9, at the former Tasker Homes lot that is next to the town’s U.S. Post Office. If all goes as planned, the store is expected to open in October 2016, the town manager said.
“So, hopefully this fall sometime,” Smith said.
Town planners began their review of the store’s plans on Wednesday.
“We had the public hearing last night,” Smith said Wednesday. “They didn’t get through it all last night but they will take it up again at their next meeting in two weeks.”
The planning board meets again at 6 p.m. May 10.
Dollar General, headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, has more than 11,500 stores nationwide, with locations in Auburn and Lewiston, and another one planned on Route 302 in Windham. Its website describes the company as the “nation’s largest small-box discount retailer.” It sells both name brand and generic food, clothing and merchandise.
The company announced in October that it was interested in locating in Eddington, but the first location it considered, near the junction of Route 9 and Route 46, did not work due to zoning.
The new location has a lot of business history, the town manager said.
“It used to be the Eddington Superette years ago,” Smith said. “Before that it was Day’s Superette.”