Upper Burrell Dollar General plans on hold because of development issues

Plans for a Dollar General store in Upper Burrell are on hold because of development issues flagged by township officials.

Construction of the proposed 7,500-square-foot store along Route 780 near Dewey Drive has raised the concern of some residents because the vacant site where it would be built is in a small commercial zone within a mostly residential area.

Township engineer David Kerchner of Bankson Engineers said the plan has been tabled until the developer addresses the township’s comments.

Issues raised by the township include potential stormwater concerns, the store’s close proximity to adjacent residences along Dewey Drive and spillover lighting from the store, Kerchner said.

Dewey Street resident Diane Chabal doesn’t want the store or its activity near her home. She presented a petition requesting the development be stopped during the township’s planning commission meeting last month.

Dollar General has a chance to tweak its development plan before it seeks a recommendation from the planning commission and approval by supervisors. The bargain retailer also will need to secure a zoning permit, approval for an on-lot sewage system, a grading permit, stormwater management requirements and more, township solicitor Steve Yakopec said.

The plans are expected to pass township hurdles because the developer is not asking for a variance or an exception that would create roadblocks, Yakopec said.

Calls to Dollar General and the engineer who presented the store plans, Michael Lusaitis, were not immediately returned.

Last month, a Dollar General spokesperson said the company will make a final decision about the store next summer.

The new store could employ six to 10 workers, she said.