Letter to the Editor: Stop Dollar General, Public Hearing Feb. 25

If you don’t want your Egg Harbor/Door County experience to include driving past a 9,100-square-foot Dollar General store with a 30-space parking lot and a bright-yellow pylon sign on scenic Highway 42, please voice your opposition during the Town of Egg Harbor public hearing Feb. 25, 6 pm. 

The hearing will be offered via Zoom and conference call. Go to townofeggharbor.org/agendas-minutes to see the meeting agenda and additional information. Robust public-hearing attendance is critical to stopping this proposal. Be prepared to speak up (there will be a three-minute limit per person) during the public-comment period after the developer’s presentation.

Here’s the background: After being denied access to Sister Bay in late 2019, a Michigan developer for Tennessee-based Dollar General – Peter Oleszczuk of Midwest Property Development – is now proposing to build a store in the Town of Egg Harbor. The proposed location is on the northeast corner of Highway 42 and Hillside Road, approximately one mile south of the Village of Egg Harbor, near the Egg Harbor Fun Park. Plans include what we believe is a dangerous driveway entrance off Hillside Road.

Some of the reasons to oppose the project are that a national big-box retailer does not fit the aesthetic or business type for the town, and it does not preserve the rural character of the town according to its comprehensive plan. Increased traffic congestion creates a more dangerous intersection, and the bright lights (exterior, interior, pylon) and long store hours (normally 8 am – 9/10 pm daily) would distract drivers and impair enjoyment of the night sky. Nearby alternative shopping already exists through two grocers in Egg Harbor and many in Sturgeon Bay.

Hope to see you on Feb. 25! Thank you.

Meg Stapleton

Egg Harbor, Wisconsin