No New Dollar Stores In Douglasville For 90 Days: City Council

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — Douglasville’s city council has approved a 90-day moratorium on new “small box discount stores” — better known as dollar stores — within the city limits.

City planners will use the 90 days to study how dollar stores effect their communities and consider changes to how Douglasville regulates them, according to the resolution.

The moratorium passed unanimously at Monday night’s regular city council meeting with almost no discussion.

As defined in the moratorium, small-box discount stores are retail stores no larger than 12,000 square feet that sell convenience discount items, most for $10 or less. The moratorium excludes stores with pharmacies or gas pumps, thus exempting convenience stores and major drug-store chains. It also excludes stores already under construction, including one being built on Fairburn Road.

Small-box discount stores offer big-box store staples with convenience-store access, making them increasingly popular in areas underserved by discount department stores.

At the same time, critics argue that dollar stores discourage full-service grocery stores — which sell healthier fresh fruits and vegetables — from entering markets where they may be needed.

Stonecrest and Stockbridge already have small-box store ordinances. In addition, DeKalb and Clayton counties enacted limited discount-store moratoriums last year. Both moratoriums have since been extended into 2021.

Douglasville’s dollar-store moratorium will last until 11:59 p.m. on June 13 “unless shortened or extended by official action of the Mayor and Council,” according to the resolution.

The three major small-box discount store brands — Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar — have 20 locations among them throughout Douglas County, with six alone in Douglasville.

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