dollar general

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Youth for Christ appeals to Zoning Board, reopens ministry. Leland citizens call on officials to play long game

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As expected, Apollos Properties and “Bear Man” Jim Van Steenhouse last month appealed to the Township’s Zoning Board of Appeals their special use permit application to hold Youth for Christ’s controversial Lighthouse ministry in a building they own that overlooks Fishtown in the heart of Leland’s business district. VanSteenhouse’s attorney Robert Parker informed lawyer Thomas Grier, with the Running Wise Law Firm, on April 28 that “while the matter is on appeal before the [ZBA], Youth for Christ intends to resume its activities at the property. Meanwhile, at the April 15 Planning Commission meeting, Leland citizens called on township officials to overcome fears of future litigation from VanSteenhouse and Youth for Christ. “If you feel you are currently considering approval to avoid a legal battle, then I urge you to move forward with another option: a legislative moratorium,” said Leland resident Lauren Connor. She and other citizens who spoke during the public comment period referenced several recent examples of villages and townships elsewhere in Leelanau County enacting moratoriums to stop developments from outside players that locals opposed. Those examples include dollar stores proposed in Empire and Maple City, an RV park in Leelanau Township, and a campground expansion along Lake Leelanau.

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Cleveland Township Board stops proposed Maple City Dollar General with zoning, building moratorium

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At a special meeting tonight, the Cleveland Township Board unanimously passed a moratorium on any applications for zoning or building in the Business 1 and Business 2 zoning districts until Aug. 4, with the option to extend for another six months. The Planning Commission meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 5, has been cancelled. That moratorium stops, for now, a proposed Dollar General development at the corner of Maple City Road and Cemetery Road in Cleveland Township.

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Cleveland Township Board stops proposed Maple City Dollar General with zoning, building moratorium

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Twice in 2019 Dollar General tried to build stores in Leelanau County. Twice the discount chain goliath was defeated by local zoning and citizen opposition. Leelanau remains the only county in Michigan without a discount chain store. Midwest V, the same company that targeted Maple City and Empire six years ago, now wants to build a dollar store at the corner of Maple City Road and Cemetery Road in Cleveland Township — 0.6 miles north of downtown Maple City. The Cleveland Township Planning Commission will hold a public hearing about the proposed development on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 7 pm at the Township Hall.

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Maple City welcomes homes, not budget box stores

Here’s an affordable housing success story in Leelanau County. Habitat for Humanity broke ground Nov. 16 on three duplex units that, as soon as a year from now, will house six families at the Maple City Crossings development at the corner of Maple Street and Western Avenue. Kal Excavating is preparing the two-acre parcel for the project.

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Dollar stores squeeze rural grocery stores

Among the biggest stories of 2019 has been attempts by dollar stores to gain a foothold in Leelanau County. Zoning regulations and citizen opposition in Kasson Township stopped a bid in Maple City this spring; then Empire instituted a 6-month moratorium on new commercial development on July 17 to prevent a contractor that works with Dollar General from purchasing land in the village.

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Dollar Store targets Empire

The Empire Village Council will hold a special meeting on July 17 to consider a moratorium on processing any zoning permit. Midwest V, which frequently leases its buildings to Dollar General, approached an Empire landowner with a purchase offer to acquire six acres in a mixed use, commercial-residential district of Empire.

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How township zoning and citizen opposition stopped a Dollar General in Maple City

The prospect of a Dollar General moving into the tiny Leelanau County community of Maple City drew swift, near unanimous, opposition from local citizens when the news surfaced in early April.

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Dollar General purchase offer withdrawn in Maple City

A developer working on behalf of Dollar General has withdrawn its offer to purchase three lots from the Flaska family in Maple City, realtor Deb Brown confirmed to the Glen Arbor Sun. Brown, who represents the family, said the offer was withdrawn on Friday, May 10.

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Dollar stores targeting northern Michigan towns?

Maple City and Lake Ann residents brace for potential battle with hungry national chain. Dollar stores are expanding in rural, and often economically depressed, towns throughout the United States. “Small box” dollar stores specialize in selling cheap commodities and pre-packaged food that undercut locally-owned grocery stores.

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