GRANITE QUARRY — Another Dollar General is sprouting in Rowan County.

The Granite Quarry Planning Board approved a site plan for a new retail location at 6195 U.S. 52 on Aug. 10, which Town Planner Steve Blount confirmed is slated to be a new Dollar General location. There is another Dollar General location at 101 Granite Lane, on the north side of town.

In February, the town’s Board of Aldermen shot down a rezoning request for another parcel off U.S. Highway 52 and St. Luke Church Road that would have become a Dollar General location. The decision from the board meant the developer could not apply for another rezoning request for the property for a year.

The new plan is to develop 1 1.66-acre lot and build a 9,100 square-foot retail building along with a parking lot. This location is already zoned under the town’s highway business classification and would not need to be rezoned for its intended use. It would be adjacent to the baseball diamond next to Erwin Middle School and the former Old Stone Winery location.

The plan includes standard requirements for new developments including a driveway, deceleration and turn lanes, septic field, stormwater retention pond setbacks and buffers.

Blount noted the new driveway is permitted by NCDOT in a presentation on the site plan he gave to the planning board at the meeting. Stormwater runoff would travel from the northwest to the southeast part of the property.

Town ordinances note highway business allows retail use less than 20,000 square feet as a use “by right.” The plan includes a 25-foot front, 10-foot side and 30-foot rear setbacks.

Granite Quarry-Faith Joint Police Authority Chief Mark Cook noted no police issues with the plan. A note from Salisbury Rowan-Utilities indicated there is a fire hydrant on the front of the parcel which will need to be relocated. That will be coordinated by the developer.

Town Manager Larry Smith noted concern about traffic flow, but deferred to Cook’s judgement.

Draft minutes for the planning board meeting said Mike Fox, Teramore Development’s attorney of firm Tuggle Duggins, said the plan meets all ordinance conditions, and design firm representative Justin Church said the firm incorporated all changes from the site review.

The board approved the project following closing a public hearing on the matter with a 6-1 vote. Brenda Constantino was the only opposing vote. According to the draft minutes, Blount “reminded the board their decision had to be based on whether the site plan met the requirements of the Unified Development Ordinance.”

Site plan approval ensures a project complies with unified development ordinance policy is not the last step in the process of bringing a project to the construction phase and completion. Per North Carolina General Statutes, permitting is required for construction projects.