Operators of dollar stores and small box discount retail in Henry County will have to allow for greater distances from one another in the future after the south metro community changed its zoning to require separation of at least five miles between stores.
The restriction is thought to be one of the toughest in the nation.
It's an effort, leaders say, to help the businesses thrive and avoid an over-concentration of them in the county.
“We need to make sure we allow these businesses to be successful,” Henry County Commissioner Thomas Vivian Thomas said in the Henry commission’s unanimous vote for the restrictions last week. “If they are too close, a lot of them won’t be successful.”
The move comes as communities across metro Atlanta have pushed back against the surging numbers of dollar stores under construction. Some municipalities, such as Morrow, Clarkston and DeKalb County, have implemented moratoriums on their construction while others, such as Stockbridge, have required buffers of at least a mile between locations.
Henry defines small box discount retailers as stores with footprints smaller than 15,000 square feet and whose goods primarily sell for $10 or less. The zoning does not apply to drug stores or convenience stores.
The county initially considered Stockbridge's less strict zoning, but commissioners worried that would not stop the businesses from flooding the community with locations. Five miles, they argued, would allow the retailers to have a strong presence in the county without overwhelming the retail landscape.
Before signing off on the restrictions, Commissioner Gary Barham warned that the businesses could add slightly more square footage to get around the zoning requirements. But Henry chief planner Stacey Jordan-Rudeseal said commissioners should not go any higher on the size requirements.
If the county restricts footprints too much larger, it could begin getting into the territory of sought-after big box retailers such as Home Depot and Lowe’s, Rudeseal said.
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