TOWNSHEND — I love dollar stores. I do! I do! I do! If you were in my tax bracket, you would, too.
The “scenic corridor” with its used car lot to the east, an auction house and used dirt emporium to the north, the welding shop, and the Husqvarna dealer to the west, and grocery store and big-box Mobil oil to the south, make it the perfect place for the dollar store. As noted, the area is already commercial, so zoning probably wouldn't stop any business that obeyed the rules.
I remember when this site consisted of a covered bridge, corn fields, a cow pasture, and two farms. It's a lot more practical and convenient now.
I'll wager if a pet store or organic food co-op or most any high-end business wanted that space, there would be very little opposition. That a few knee-jerk reactionists can create such a negative attitude toward a legal business coming to my town is beyond me. Can we soon expect hate-filled placard-carrying marches on Route 30?
Zoning is really just a bureaucracy that never goes away or gets smaller, but usually gets bigger and more complicated as time goes on.
That's all for today - I gotta go to Brattleboro. To the dollar stores! All that wasted gas.