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Dollar General may open near Sackets Harbor, despite opposition

Catherine Loper
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WRVO News

The Jefferson County town of Hounsfield, near Sackets Harbor, may allow a Dollar General store to move in later this year, despite opposition. The town's planning board will meet Tuesday to consider a proposal to build the store at the intersection of Route 3 and County Route 75.

More than 100 residents have signed an online petition to stop the development.

Resident Boo Wells is part of a group who believes a Dollar General store will ruin the charm of the historic Sackets Harbor area. She said if the Dollar General is built, her kitchen window will look out onto the store’s parking lot. Wells said, despite that, her opposition to the project runs deeper than aesthetics.

“We want a vibrant downtown, we want to support local businesses, we want farmer’s markets we want a pedestrian way, yet we allow businesses like Dollar General to come in and kill the local downtown and local businesses. It’s so short-sighted,” Wells said.

Credit Catherine Loper / WRVO News
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WRVO News

Hounsfield Town Supervisor Tim Scee sees the project differently. He owns an ice cream stand in Sackets Harbor. Scee said the Dollar General isn’t a threat to his business or others nearby.

“We have two different customer bases. The folks downtown are walking customers. The ones out on Route 3 are passing by in a car and the tourists come to the village to shop in the specialty stores. There is a reason Dollar Generals are in many communities surrounding the Watertown area,” Scee said.

Dollar General has become like the family general store, according to Scee. He said he supports any new development in Hounsfield.

The Hounsfield Town Planning Board will review the Dollar General’s site plans on May 10 at 7 p.m. Boo Wells is encouraging everyone who is against the development to attend the meeting.