Dollar General Wants a New Store in Indian Head

Dollar General is seeking to build a new Dollar General store in Indian Head, Fayette County, along the Indian Creek and Indian Creek Valley Trail. Specifically, Dollar General hopes to build a “Dollar General Market” in the location that used to be home to Resh’s General Store.  

Per the company website, a Market format of a Dollar General offers “expanded produce, refrigerated and frozen food offerings, dairy products and more, in addition to an assortment of fresh meats, alongside the general merchandise customers trust Dollar General to provide.” The store would be almost 12,500 square feet and is proposed to have 50 parking spots associated with it. Representatives from the project did note that there are multiple smaller store sizes they could develop, however Dollar General’s economic analysis indicated that a Market store would do best in the area. 

On Wednesday, March 6, 2024, the Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board held a hearing on an application for a buffer yard setback variance and a use variance for the project. The project would be located mostly in the Agriculture zoning district, with a small portion in the Business zoning district. 

• Buffer yard setback variance → a portion of the parking lot would extend closer to a neighboring residential property than is allowed by the ordinance, so they require a variance from the ordinance
• Use variance → because the retail business would be larger than 10,000 square feet, it is not an allowable use in the agriculture zoning district, so they require a variance from the ordinance 

Per the Fayette County Zoning Ordinance, a variance may not be granted if the lot can be developed without violating the zoning ordinance. Additionally, the variance cannot alter the essential character of the neighborhood, cannot substantially impair the appropriate use of the adjacent lot, and cannot be detrimental to the public welfare. 

Representatives from Dollar General’s development and engineering partners testified at the hearing in support of the project and associated variances. Two concerned community members testified in opposition to the project, and staff from the Mountain Watershed Association also testified in opposition. Concerns from community members included: 

• Proximity to Indian Creek and the Indian Creek Valley Trail, which is used extensively by the community for recreational activities. 
• There are already nearby convenience stores that are locally owned.
• The parking lot would be an impervious surface that could create additional runoff across the Trail and Creek.  
• Parking lot lighting, loss of property value, and other associated impacts from building construction. 

The Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board and Solicitor were thoroughly engaged with all parties throughout the hearing, and have 45 days to issue a decision on the application.

The image above is the zoning site plan submitted by the applicant for the proposed Dollar General store in Indian Head, Pennsylvania. When looking at the image above, the following identifying features may be useful for purposes of orientation: 

• The far left side of the image shows Indian Creek in a darker color, with the bridge into Indian Head that crosses Indian Creek partially pictured. 
• Next to the creek, there is a white strip of land. This is the Indian Creek Valley Trail. 
• In the upper left corner of the picture, there is a building with a reddish roof. This is Creekside Grill. 
• Right of Creekside Grill is a building with a green roof. This is the Indian Creek Valley Water Authority building. 
• Within the drawing of the proposed dollar general store, you can see the faint outline of a building with a light green roof. This used to be Resh’s General Store.