JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Springfield could soon become the home of a new Dollar General store. The proposed store will be located on West 8th Street near North Main.
It's a hot button topic in the Springfield community with buzz generating throughout the neighborhood and on social media.
The Springfield Preservation and Revitalization committee is taking notice and inviting neighbors to voice their opinions.
Why Neighbors are Opposed
Springfield is a community known for revitalizing homes, walk-ability, and historic preservation.
"Certainly some people are opposed to it. Some are indifferent. I haven't heard a lot of people who are for it," said Michael Montoya with Springfield Preservation and Revitalization.
He is on the board for SPAR, and has heard thoughts from people in the area. Some have posted on Facebook, saying it might detract from the historic charm of the community or drive down property values.
Others have questioned if a Dollar General store is needed in the neighborhood.
People have talked about the number of similar stores already in the area. The SPAR office on Walnut Street reports that within a two mile radius, there are currently four Family Dollar Stores, and a Dollar General already built on North Main Street.
What the Company Says
Officials from Dollar General say adding a West 8th Street store is part of its "continual process to identify locations where we can best meet our customers’ needs…We take a number of factors into consideration including community concerns, among numerous other factors."
What the Community Wants
Neighbors will get a chance to formally voice their opinions at the meeting this afternoon. Some have said if anything should be built here, it's a grocery store.
"If this had been an Aldi that they were proposing or a Trader Joe's, that would've been a no brainer. That would've been a slam dunk. Everyone would've gotten behind that," said Montoya.
Join the Discussion
The Historic Preservation Commission meeting Wednesday will focus on the design of the new store on West 8th street, how it fits into the neighborhood, and if it meets zoning requirements.
It will be the first public forum for people to share their thoughts on the new store.
Everyone is welcome to attend Wednesday’s meeting and voice their opinion. The discussion begins at 3 p.m. at the Ed Ball building in downtown Jacksonville.
