Commission Approves Plan for Family Dollar Retail Store

The Lake Elsinore Planning Commission Tuesday night approved a plan for the construction of a discount retail store.

In a 3-1 vote, commissioners accepted architectural designs for the proposed 8,320-square-foot Family Dollar store on property located at the northwest corner of Riverside and Walnut drives.

“All four commissioners liked the project,” said Senior Planner Richard MacHott after the meeting. “They thought it was well designed, and it was architecturally an attractive building.”

The modern design includes enhanced architectural characteristics such as varying color treatments and materials, and wall breaks to create building elevations.

Commissioner David Blake, who casted the sole opposing vote, liked the design but expressed concern about traffic and access to the project site from Lakeshore Drive, MacHott said. The site will take access off of Riverside, Walnut and Fraser drives.

A public hearing before the City Council is tentatively set for Dec. 11, MacHott said. If the council approves the plan, once opened, the new store would operate from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The store would employ one manager, one to two assistant managers and approximately three to five other employees.

Family Dollar Stores Inc. has more than 7,000 shops in 44 states. The closest Family Dollar stores to Lake Elsinore are in Corona, Hemet and Riverside.