A new Dollar General Store could appear in Welches sometime in the next four
years, following approval of the design proposal by Clackamas County late last
year.

“The development is free to move forward meeting these conditions,” said
county Senior Planner Martha Fritzie. She added the design review process
was past the appeal period which ended in December.

The addition of the Dollar General has received some criticism from local
residents who feel the county is leaving community voices out of development
decisions. Notice of the application was sent to property owners within 300
feet of the intended development’s property lines.

“We need to change the zoning laws so that when the community is going to
be impacted there is public notice, preferably written up in the paper,” said
Meredith Sanders, a Welches resident for 16 years. “We don’t get a say in
what’s going on with development on our mountain.”

The approximately 7,500 square foot retail store will be constructed at 70140
E. Hwy. 26 on a parcel of land zoned for Rural Tourist Commercial (RTC) use.
Retail stores are permitted as a primary use on property zoned RTC in the
Clackamas County Zoning and Development Ordinance (ZDO).

“If the code allows for certain uses then the use is simply permitted,” said
county Senior Planner Glen Hamburg. “The area for the proposed
development has been zoned RTC for a long time.”

The future sight of the Dollar General Store is bordered to the east and west
by other RTC properties, one of which is a Subway restaurant. The property is
bordered to the south by Hoodland Park and across Hwy. 26 to the north by
properties zoned for residential use.

The application to develop the retail space for the Dollar General Store was
submitted to the county’s planning and zoning department’s design review
committee by Brad Krem of Embree Asset Group and Scott Franklin of
PacLand. Representatives from the Embree Group did not respond for a
request for comment in time for publication.

The Clackamas County website states the purpose of design review is to
“ensure developments meet the needs of the community by complying with all
applicable codes and zoning regulations.”

The design review committee determined that the design for the retail space
complied with all applicable codes and zoning regulations and approved the
plan for the store under the condition that the land use follows plans filed with
the county on Oct. 7, 2019, participate in a “post land use transition”

meeting, and submit a statement of use form to calculate applicable System
Development Charges prior to applying for building permits.

More information about the design for the new Dollar General Store is
available online at https://www.clackamas.us/planning/designreview.html.
More information about county zoning is available at
https://www.clackamas.us/planning/zdo.html.