MILFORD – The second time was the charm for Dollar General. In 2014 the discount chain brought the planning board plans for a retail store diagonally across from the Pine Valley Mill apartments in west Milford. The planning board sent the company away, asking for a building design more in keeping with New England architecture and with the town’s West Elm Gateway District design standards.

Last December the company brought the board a revised plan, and last week the board agreed that changes meet the “spirit and intent” of the gateway district, whose standards call for parking lots to be inconspicuous and for development to be pedestrian-oriented whenever possible.

Among the changes are a five-foot asphalt sidewalk and a crosswalk across Wilton Road. The 9,320 square foot building will have a peak roof, a gable and some of its facade broken up with faux windows.

The design “is clearly better than what we’ve seen before,” said board member Paul Amato, and Janet Langdell called it a “vast improvement,” and noted that the gable breaks up the view for drivers coming across the bridge into Wilton.

The board’s vote was unanimous and no residents spoke for or against the plan.

The property is near the Milford-Wilton border, and Wilton has no retail food or drug stores. The nearest grocery store is Market Basket supermarket, off Route 101.

According to the Wall Street Journal, in 2019 the Dollar General Corp. is looking to expand into rural and urban areas that lack grocery store options.

As of last year the chain operated 15,227 stores in 44 states and planned to open 975 new stores next year and relocate and remodel others. In New Hampshire, there are about the 28 stores.

A Dollar General competitor, Dollar Tree, is in Milford’s Granite Town Plaza.

Kathy Cleveland may be reached at 673-3100 or kcleveland@cabinet.com.