City Council Hears Plans for New Dollar General Location

At the City Council meeting in Willow Springs on November 19, Mayor Brooke Fair and the Board of Aldermen reviewed plans for a proposed new location for Dollar General. The plans were presented by a Springfield-based developer, Overland Engineering, LLC. 

 

The site of the new store will be the former location of the Sonic on East Main. The restaurant property was already owned by the developer, and the Sonic closed to make room for the new construction. 

 

The City’s role is to approve or deny conceptual site plans from the developer as well as cooperate with the modification and enhancement of utility services to the location, said City Administrator Beverly Hicks. 

 

At the City Council meeting, Alderman Troy Yonker said, “There is no hesitation about the project.”

 

Overall, the City seems favorably inclined to work with the developer on the proposed project. That being the case, the Council failed to make or approve any official motion sanctioning the plans as presented on November 20. 

 

City Attorney Zane Privette is working with Overland Engineering on legal documents that appropriately define easements and vacated alleyways to the City’s satisfaction. The plans as presented also detailed insufficient proportions of asphalt in the loading area of the store. 

 

Hicks told the Council the developer has been very easy to work with, and she seemed confident that they would be amenable to the City’s reservations. 

 

“They have done everything that we asked them to do,” Hicks remarked. 

 

The discussion ended with Hicks’ stated intent to apprise Overland Engineering of the Council’s issues with the design plans, but the overall enthusiasm for this development remains undiminished.