{"id":21684,"date":"2025-06-26T00:27:01","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T00:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dolores-residents-oppose-new-dollar-general-as-developer-presents-his-case-to-county-commission\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:08:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:08:25","slug":"dolores-residents-oppose-new-dollar-general-as-developer-presents-his-case-to-county-commission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dolores-residents-oppose-new-dollar-general-as-developer-presents-his-case-to-county-commission\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolores residents oppose new Dollar General as developer presents his case to County Commission"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A
A Bloomfield woman is claiming a San Juan County Sheriff\u2019s deputy in plain clothes assaulted and falsely arrested her at the Dollar General, 1001 E. Broadway Blvd.<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

In the latest contentious land use disagreement, permitting for a new Dollar General Store at an intersection of Colorado Highway 145 and County Road N in Dolores drew sharp criticism Tuesday morning at a public hearing when a developer sat before the Montezuma County Board of Commissioners.<\/p>\n

Douglas Kinsey, CEO of Georgia-based developer Leaf Properties<\/a>, made his case to the board concerning the approval of a high impact use permit in the development of the proposed Dollar General during a hearing that lasted nearly three hours and included over a dozen local residents who voiced opposition to the proposed store.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a group of people here \u2013 and I don\u2019t mean this in an ugly way \u2013 but they\u2019re trying to tell me that I can\u2019t do something with my land that I legally have the right to do,\u201d Kinsey said during the meeting.<\/p>\n

The hearing came after<\/a> requests for approval of the 3.78-acre development had been shot down in April 2024, first unanimously by the county Planning & Zoning Commission, then in a 2-1 vote made by county commissioners. At that time, numerous local residents voiced their opposition to the plans<\/a>, describing everything from traffic safety concerns to possible light pollution.<\/p>\n

The following May, Leaf Properties filed suit in District Court against the county, and commissioners, alleging that when the board voted against approving the permit, it had failed to provide competent evidence behind their decision. The suit also alleged that the commissioners denied the developer due process.<\/p>\n

In response, a judge ordered the commissioners to release a decision on the permit that included written findings.<\/p>\n

Tuesday\u2019s hearing marked the first step in the board\u2019s new opportunity to consider the development\u2019s approval.<\/p>\n

Throughout the hearing, Kinsey presented evidence to convince the board that his development was in compliance with all of the county\u2019s land-use codes and that he had resolved any issue brought forth during the previous hearings.<\/p>\n

Yet, he said, it was the fact that the unpopular Dollar General would be his tenant, not any zoning compliance-related issues with the new store, that locals opposed.<\/p>\n

About 10 minutes into the meeting, Kinsey pulled up screenshots from the \u201cWhat\u2019s Up? Dolores, Mancos, Cortez!\u201d Facebook group, showcasing several recent comments that opposed the new Dollar General. But none of the posts, he said, made mention of issues related to land-use code compliance.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Kinsey said, based on the stage he\u2019d reached with ensuring compliance, the county\u2019s codes said nothing that specifically prevented him from building the Dollar General.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the outcry that\u2019s driving this,\u201d Kinsey said.<\/p>\n