St. Helena Family Dollar store still jumping through approval hoops

The Beaufort County Development Review Team gave the controversial Family Dollar planned for St. Helena Island another conditional approval Wednesday, moving the store a step closer to its eventual opening.

Team members voted 3-1 to approve an updated conceptual plan for the store, to be located on Sea Island Parkway in The Corners community.

They took exception, however, to the proposed placement of pump stations and the aggregate paving slated for use on a nearby road.

Store owner Robert Sample, a St. Helena native, and his engineering and architecture team must address those issues before the plan can earn final approval and construction can begin.

It's been a long road to completion for Sample, who first began seeking approvals for the 5,000-square-foot Family Dollar last year.

After submitting two site plans to the Development Review Team, Sample was first granted conditional, conceptual approval in June -- but had to re-engineer access for supply trucks and other vehicles; recalculate the measurement of buffers on the property; relocate a proposed sidewalk; and hide the store's trash containers with screening.

Clearing that hurdle sent the site plan to the Northern Corridor Review Board in September. The board commented on the store's design and architecture before sending it back to the review team.

The prospect of a Family Dollar has sparked debate on St. Helena.

Some residents have said the store will provide much-need jobs for the area and give residents easier access to low-priced items; others have argued it will open the door to more chain stores and mar the area's rural character.