TERLINGUA — Over the past few weeks, a spirited group of a few dozen locals have banded together to fight a proposed Dollar General location in Study Butte — with many others in the virtual world cheering them on. While some residents have expressed apathy or say they’re looking forward to shopping at the potential store, a vocal cohort are attempting to slow the company’s real estate deal down by any means necessary.
The massive dollar store chain — which has more locations nationwide than McDonald’s and Walmart combined — continues to grow in the Big Bend, despite widespread insistence among residents that they don’t want to see the area light up with even more black and yellow signs. Most notably, over a hundred Alpine residents showed up to a city council meeting in October 2022 to protest the replatting of city land that would pave the way for a third location.
Terlingua is a much smaller and more transient community than Alpine but has attempted to resist the chain all the same. Apart from the concessionaires that run the Motor Inn, the Terlingua Dollar General would be the first major chain to take root in South Brewster County — an oddity in a community that prides itself on its wildness, lack of regulation and independent spirit.
At an informal community meeting held at the beginning of August, local Kristina Lorek brought up two environmental concerns many others had echoed: she didn’t want to see a glowing sign blot out the Milky Way, nor hundreds of yellow plastic bags tangled in the creosote.
Others at the meeting pointed out that — due to Terlingua’s unincorporated status — any potential bans on bags would be the responsibility of the county. Dark sky protections, however, have been adopted as ordinances by local governments across the Big Bend.
In response to many Terlinguans’ concerns, McDonald Observatory’s Dark Sky Specialist Stephen Hummel reached out to the potential Dollar General’s developer, the Overland Group, and architectural firm Kinetic Design and Development.
Representatives for the two entities assured Hummel that this was not the first environmental ordinance that they had encountered in the design and build phase. While they could not speak for local stores built by other firms, they said they were committed to erecting a compliant building. “We understand that Big Bend is known for its ‘splendid isolation’ — part of which is being able to view the night sky unmarred by light pollution,” they wrote. “We hope this letter demonstrates the sincerity of our intent to build a Dollar General store which enhances the local community.”
Despite an initial round of promises from those in the know, many Terlinguans are concerned about what the store represents, rather than its cardboard-and-milk jug reality.
A handful of local realtors stepped up to the plate on social media last week, calling for folks interested in owning a home or business in Terlingua to make an offer on the property. Stephanie Neckar, the realtor representing the seller in the potential deal, indicated that Dollar General did not offer the full asking price and could potentially be outbid.
Terlingua-based realtor Kate Keenan offered discounted commission for potential buyers interested in the property. While she hasn’t gotten any takers so far, she said that local property owners had a few options to slow the domino effect that many worry Dollar General will trigger in local development.
One possibility was that existing property owners can write deed restrictions, limiting what kind of person or corporation can purchase the property — even if the property owner dies. In Texas, they’re typically used by entities like homeowner’s associations to preserve the monetary or aesthetic value of a property, but these agreements can be drawn up to the property owner’s liking so long as their request is legal and enforcement is feasible. “It’s almost impossible to take off deed restrictions,” she said. “If people want to sell their properties later but they don’t want a place like Dollar General to move in, they just need to walk their happy asses on down to the courthouse.”
For those worried about the complexity of the process or the cost of legal counsel, Keenan said that — in her experience — these types of stipulations were quick and easy for attorneys to mock up and that the county’s filing fees are relatively low.
No matter whether or not Dollar General goes through with the Study Butte sale, Keenan hopes that her neighbors will take advantage of the legal system to play offense against further commercial development. “If we could convince more people to slap some deed restrictions on their property, then the worst that we get is one Dollar General,” she said.
Some Terlingua residents have also started a petition against the chain. You can view the petition here.