LAKEPORT, Calif. – County officials said Wednesday that an appeal hearing regarding a Dollar General store proposal has been postponed until next month.

Cross Development has appealed the Lake County Planning Commission's May 28 denial of a proposed 9,100-square-foot Dollar General store at 4315 Douglas St. and 5505 Main St. in Kelseyville.

The appeal had been scheduled for the Board of Supervisors' meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 21.

However, on Wednesday the county issued a revised legal notice announcing that the hearing had been rescheduled to 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18.

Supervisor Jim Comstock requested the postponement due to his plans to be out of town on July 21, according to Assistant Clerk to the Board Alicia Flores.

At the same time, Supervisor Rob Brown has plans to recuse himself from the matter, as he owns a nearby property, the value of which he said would be affected if the project goes forward.

Cross Development is a Texas-based firm that builds custom store sites and then leases them to Dollar General.

At its May meeting – just a year after it had approved Dollar General's first store sites in Clearlake Oaks and Nice – the Lake County Planning Commission unanimously denied the major use permit and mitigated negative declaration that Cross Development was seeking for the Kelseyville site.

Commissioners cited their concerns about traffic – as the store is located across the street from Kelseyville High School – along with fit with the community character and design, and issues regarding the Clearlake Oaks store, which also is located near a school.

In its appeal of the decision, Cross Development stated, “We believe that the project will not negatively impact the high school in terms of traffic and pedestrian circulation and can, in fact, serve to promote a vibrant downtown in Kelseyville.

The company adding that traffic volume analysis it has submitted to the county shows that the store won't unduly burden area roadways, and that the store is an appropriate use considering surrounding land patterns and conditions.

A number of Kelseyville community members and business owners disagree. They have expressed their opposition to the store, which they said doesn't match the character of the town and will have a negative impact on local businesses.

Posters and petitions to keep Dollar General out of Kelseyville also have begun circulating this past week.

Cross Development also is considering a store site at 20900 S. Highway 29 in Middletown, but the Community Development Department confirmed that a completed application on that project hasn't  yet been submitted.

The Middletown Area Town Hall created a committee last month to begin considering the strengths and weaknesses of such a store, with design and location again arising as concerns.

Dollar General, based on Goodlettsville, Tenn., has about than 12,000 “small box” retail stores nationwide.

Company officials reported that both the Clearlake Oaks and Nice stores – which opened earlier this year – are performing above expectations.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.