Evaluating sites in Okanogan, Bridgeport
After conducting the due-diligence process for a possible store in Twisp, Dollar General has decided to look at alternative locations in Okanogan County.
“While Dollar General currently does not have any current projects in Okanogan or Douglas County, we continue to evaluate opportunities to add new locations and extend our mission of Serving Others,” Dollar General Public Relations Coordinator Emma Hall said by email.
Dollar General is a nationwide chain with more than 17,000 stores in 46 states. Over the past year, the company was exploring the possibility of opening a new store in Twisp or other towns in Okanogan and/or Douglas counties.
As part of their exploratory process, an engineer working for Dollar General had prepared potential site plans for stores in Twisp and in Bridgeport, according to Twisp Town Planner Kurt Danison of Highlands Associates. Danison also handles planning for other towns in Okanogan County and for Bridgeport, in Douglas County.
Danison hasn’t heard anything more about the proposal for Twisp, but the Bridgeport project is moving forward, he said. Last week, after a public hearing, Bridgeport vacated a portion of an alley, part of a multi-step process to ready the proposed site for development, he said. A developer working with Dollar General has also applied for permits in Okanogan, where the company is considering a site for a store, Danison said.
Dollar General, founded in 1939, focuses on small towns, and 70% of their stores are in communities with a population of less than 20,000, according to their website. The majority of their products are priced below $10, and about one-fourth cost $1 or less, according to the company’s website.
