Asked about the recent approval of a Walmart near Nine Mile Road and Laburnum Avenue, MacDonald said he does not think sales will be hurt too significantly because the Dollar General stores often serve as a place for people looking to restock a few items quickly between bigger shopping trips.

“This area could be categorized as a “food desert” due to the fact that it is highly under-penetrated with grocery and drug (stores) vs. the rest of the county,” MacDonald wrote.

Nelson said that regardless of what analysis from afar suggests, the feeling on the ground is that there are already enough of the stores.

“Clearly for those of us who live here, there’s over-saturation of dollar stores,” Nelson said.

Nelson said he has heard repeatedly from constituents who are upset with the number of dollar stores being built in the area.

But as long as a proposal is in line with the county’s zoning rules and on private property, there isn’t much he can do to stop the development of the stores, he said.

“I think residents sometimes think that we have a certain power that we don’t have,” he said.