Penn Forest Township has confirmed their approval for a Dollar General store which generated opposition from neighbors.

The supervisors voted 3-2 Tuesday night to approve a preliminary and final land development plan for the store, located at the intersection of Old Stage Road and Route 534. Tom Cross and Judith Knappenberger voted against approving the plan.

Last month the supervisors gave the plan conditional approval, with Knappenberger and Cross voting against.

The supervisors said that Dollar General had met all its conditions, as well as all the requirements for approval under the township’s land development ordinance.

Dollar General’s plans were initially denied by the township zoning hearing board because the proposed lot wasn’t wide enough to meet township regulations.

But it submitted new plans which didn’t require review by the zoning hearing board.

An online petition opposing the store’s construction was signed by 764 people. It is the third Dollar General store in Penn Forest Township, and the eighth in Carbon County.

There are a total of four existing Dollar General stores within 10 miles of the proposed new store, and seven within 15.

The Tennessee-based retailer has more than 16,700 stores nationwide. Only Subway and the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut can claim to have more.

Dollar General reportedly added 1,000 new stores nationwide in 2020, and plans to add another 1,050 in 2021.

On its website, Dollar General claims that 75 percent of Americans currently live within 5 miles of one of its stores.