Photo by Deb Gau Earth movers have been busy this week on a vacant lot at East College Drive and North Hill Street The property was recently sold, but it has not been officially confirmed what will be built there.

MARSHALL — Excavators and earth movers have been at work on an East College Drive vacant lot for about a week now. However, it’s still not officially confirmed what will be built on the long-empty property.

While some residents in the North Hill Street neighborhood have speculated a Dollar General is in the process of being built, spokespeople for the retail chain on Thursday will only confirm a store is being considered for Marshall.

“At this time, we are currently in due diligence phase for a new Dollar General location in Marshall,” Dollar General Public Relations said in an email. “This means we are reviewing the opportunity to add a new store in Lyon County, but we have not committed to doing so just yet. Based on our current timeline, we anticipate having a final decision by winter 2022.”

Marshall City Engineer Jason Anderson said Thursday that the city has not approved a building permit for the property yet. However, the city has issued a land disturbance permit to BJ Baas Builders, of Cambridge The BJ Baas Builders website lists a portfolio of retail store projects the company has worked on, including building Dollar General stores.

Sale records for property don’t clarify whether a Dollar General location is planned there. According to records at the Lyon County Recorder’s Office, sale of the land was finalized on Aug. 31. The property was bought by a limited liability company called “DGOGMarshallmn02092022, LLC.”

A filing from the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office said DGOGMarshallmn02092022, LLC, was organized in Missouri on Feb. 18. However, the company’s articles of organization did not include information confirming whether they intended to build a Dollar General store.

Julie Allen, a resident of North Hill Street, said last week one of her neighbors had spoken to workers at the construction area, and been told the site would become a Dollar General. Neighbors of the property had concerns about a Dollar General store being built there, Allen said. She said some homes in the neighborhood have experienced issues with basement flooding, and residents wondered how runoff from a retail parking lot could affect them.

Allen also said she felt frustrated that residents weren’t informed about what was being built on the lots.

“It’s not like we didn’t know something was going to happen” if the land was sold, Allen said. “I’m just disappointed that there was no transparency.”

In the past, Marshall’s planning commission and city council have had public hearings and discussions of property owners requesting conditional use permits for their businesses. However, land uses already allowed by city zoning don’t need a CUP, and don’t have to go through that process.

According to Marshall’s zoning map, the lots under construction at the corner of East College Drive and North Hill Street are in a B-3 general business district. City zoning ordinances list a wide range of businesses allowed in a general business district, including many different kinds of retail stores, as well as grocery stores and supermarkets.

There are already a few different Dollar General locations in Lyon County, with one more on the way. There are currently Dollar General locations in Cottonwood, Minneota and Tracy. A Dollar General is also planned to open in Tyler this fall, although Dollar General Public Relations said that could change based on construction progress.

The Dollar General location in Tyler will have about 8,500 square feet of sales floor space and have about 6 to 10 employees, Dollar General Public Relations said.

“Our customers are at the center of all that we do, and meeting customers’ needs is Dollar General’s top priority when choosing store locations,” Dollar General Public Relations said in an email Thursday.

“In selecting store sites, we take a number of factors into consideration, carefully evaluating each potential new store location to ensure we can continue to meet our customers’ price, value and selection needs. We further strive to provide convenience for customers who may not have affordable nearby retail options.”