WARREN, Maine — A national discount store that was rebuffed in Thomaston has set its sights on building several miles south in a neighboring town.
An application to build a Dollar General store at 3100 Atlantic Highway in Warren has been filed with the town by Northeast Civil Solutions of Scarborough, according to Warren Code Enforcement Officer Melody Sainio.
The town’s planning board is scheduled to review the project at its 7 p.m. Thursday meeting at the town office.
The proposed location for the 9,100-square-foot retail store is near the intersection of Manktown Road at the townline with Waldoboro. The site is about 6 miles south of the site that Dollar General had proposed building on Route 1 in Thomaston.
Critics of the proposed Thomaston site objected to a large retail chain store being located in the downtown area known as Thomaston Green. The 2.6-acre parcel that Dollar General eyed in Thomaston is owned by Jlinn LLC, which includes John Miller of Thomaston. The overall Thomaston Green property was where the Maine State Prison was located before being demolished in 2002. Thomaston Green is located on Route 1 overlooking the St. George River.
Citizens in Thomaston collected 131 signatures to force a special town meeting to limit the size of retail stores on the Thomaston Green to 2,500 square feet.
The town expects to hold the special town meeting before the Nov. 8 election.
Dollar General has not been in contact with the town since July when it asked to have its proposal taken off that month’s town planning board meeting, Thomaston Code Officer William Wasson said Tuesday.
Dollar General, based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, has more than 12,000 stores in 43 states, according to the company’s website. Its 12 stores in Maine are concentrated in central and southern Maine.