A proposed Dollar General store in Arvonia could employ as many as 13 people on a part-time basis or possibly eight on a full-time basis.

Par 5 Development Group LLC, of Aberdeen, N.C., is requesting a zoning map amendment from Buckingham County to operate an approximately 9,100-square-foot store on the southwest corner of Penlan Road (Route 671) and North James Madison Highway (U.S. 15).

The county’s planning commission is set to gather public comment on the proposed amendment, which would allow the store, on Monday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m.

Once a recommendation is made, the county board of supervisors gives final approval to such requests following a separate public hearing it holds.

According to a report from Koth Consulting, the engineering firm working with Par 5, the business could bring in up to $3,982.50 in annual revenue for the county in the form of personal property, real estate and merchant’s capital taxes.

The entrance and exit to the proposed store would be on Penlan Road, not U.S. 15, according to Lance Koth, of Koth Consulting, who acted as the applicant when introducing the permit request to planners.

The Penlan Road entrance is “in an effort to move any turning maneuvers off James Madison HIghway,” he said. “And it does allow for the tractor trailers that come in about once a week to make those corners and get into the site to do its maneuvering.”

“We’re planning on cutting out a small piece of that parcel right at the intersection. The plans that have been distributed are somewhat preliminary, but it shows a (approximately) 9,100-square-foot retail store that would … have the normal business hours that Dollar General has.” Koth said; Dollar General Stores are usually open from 8 a.m.-9 or 10 p.m., according to its website. “We propose to put in parking as needed for that facility, stormwater, those sorts of supporting kind of activities.”

Par 5 is a preferred developer for Dollar General, he said.

“Currently, from that site, 10 miles either way, there’s a Dollar General,” District Seven representative and Commission Vice Chairman Alice T. Gormus said, questioning the project’s proximity to other Dollar General locations.

“That gets into a little bit of the Dollar General the way they do their business planning, and I don’t know what their radiuses are,” Koth said. “They have a model where they give Par 5 target areas and specific … intersections and things like that they would want to put a store on. This was one of those desired … target locations.”

According to county documents, France W. Ellis owns the property. If approved, the zone would be changed from agriculture to business.

Commissioners are considering 16 conditions on the permit request, addressing deliveries, landscaping and traffic management issues.

“Dollar General enjoys being a part of rural communities like the immediate area of the site and finds success in being a close-by, quick and convenient stop for nearby residents,” Roth’s report stated.