Council Temporarily Closes Riverwest Dollar General

Dollar General store sign. Image from Dollar General.

A Dollar General store in Riverwest will be closed for nearly three weeks as a result of a suspension handed down by the Milwaukee Common Council.

The council voted unanimously on Tuesday to suspend the store’s license, based on a recommendation from the Licenses Committee, which raised concerns over excessive littering, complaints from neighbors and failure to comply with the plan of operations.

The suspension will go into effect on Nov. 22 and will continue through Dec. 11. The location, 1300 E. Locust St., is one of five Dollar Generals in operation in the city of Milwaukee.

The suspension was much more severe heading into Tuesday’s meeting of the full common council. At the conclusion of a Nov. 7 license renewal hearing, the business was to serve a 43-day suspension at the recommendation of Alderman Jonathan Brostoff.

But following the store’s written objection, as well as in-person testimony from attorney Brian Randall before the full council, the alderman moved to reduce the suspension by more than half, asking for 20 days instead.

The suspension marks the culmination of a months-long confrontation between neighbors, the city and Dollar General, as evidenced by numerous complaints and photos submitted to the alderman’s office.

In September, the city issued a provisional license to the store on the condition that management implement a supplemental plan to address neighbors’ concerns. Much of the Nov. 7 hearing revolved around whether or not that plan has been effective.

Randall was present at the hearing, along with Angelita Handy, the new district manager for Dollar General. The pair presented an updated plan, which included a commitment to sweep the property for litter, check the dumpster corral three times daily and install new signage to warn against trespassing, dumping, parking and other illegal activities. They also told the committee that Dollar General recently hired and trained an entirely new group of staff members.

A neighbor, Teresa Buck, was also present. In her testimony, Buck said that she regularly observes dumpster divers and litter on the Dollar General property, and reported that the store’s dumpster is rarely placed in its locked corral. She added that the store only began cleaning up in the days leading up to the renewal hearing.

After Dollar General was issued a provisional license in September, Brostoff said he expected the store to be on its “best behavior.”

“That best behavior is quite, quite troubling to me, given that we saw the most basic things — getting that dumpster closed and corralled — not being able to be met,” he said. “I’m extremely disappointed from what I’ve seen and what we were promised.”

As part of his written objection, Randall submitted the following statement to the city:

Dollar General has recognized the recent challenges it has had in operating the Locust Street store and the impacts on the community. In response, Dollar General engaged with the district Alderperson, replaced all of its store employees, altered its operational plans and filed written updates of the same, and implemented the necessary changes over time.

The Committee could have — and should have — recommended renewal with a lesser sanction because a 43-day suspension is an unreasonable penalty in light of all the circumstances including Dollar General’s documented challenges and progress in operational improvements at the store.

Randall gave a similar speech before the council on Tuesday morning. In response, Brostoff moved for a 20-day suspension. The council approved the reduced suspension without further discussion.

Dollar General will be allowed to reopen on Dec. 12. The store’s regular hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, according to the Dollar General website.