LEBANON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Plans for a new Dollar General store in part of Wayne County are being met with mixed reaction. Some think a discount chain store doesn't fit in the country while others are looking forward to a convenient location to shop.
Drive to Rileyville and you'll more than likely have gone through the four-way intersection at Routes 191 and 371. There's not a whole lot there other than a small gas station, grange, homes, and farms.
That's all about to change if developers get the go-ahead to build a Dollar General on a property a stone's throw from Rileyville four corners.
"Got like 20 homes in a 10-mile square. How many people are going to travel here," asked New Jersey resident Leonard Gambino.
Both visitors and folks who live here only recently learned of the plans for the new Dollar General. The chain already has at least a half dozen other locations in the county and across the New York state line, the closest at least 20 minutes away near Honesdale.
"I would imagine a lot of people don't want it. They live up here for a reason. Town is 17 miles away. That's the way they like it, I guess," Gambino said.
"I think it would be a fantastic idea, save people from running all the way downtown. I know I forget a lot of things and I don't feel like going to town for them," said township resident Mary Ann Ash.
There's a big crowd planning to turn out Thursday night to the Lebanon Township building for a hearing on developers' plans for that Dollar General. Specifically, the developer is asking for 30 parking spaces rather than 36 required by zoning. But leaders say because it's zoned commercial, there's little that can be done to stop it from coming.
Some neighbors say they would feel better if it were a locally-owned-and-operated business.
According to its website, Dollar General now has 15,000 stores across 44 states, nearly 350 per state.
There is no timeframe yet when this location is expected to be up and running.