Dollar General development exciting news for Blair

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This week, Dollar General announced its plans to build an $85 million, 800,000-square-foot combination dry and DG Fresh distribution center in Blair.

The new facility, a first of its kind to be constructed by the company, will be located southeast of the intersection of 10th and Wilbur streets. It's expected to create approximately 400 new jobs and add $106.1 million to the local economy each year, $53.5 million of which will be specific to Washington County.

This is big and exciting news for Blair and Washington County. Restaurants, gas stations and other businesses will reap the benefits of this new venture.

Hopefully, some of those 400 workers, if not already, will choose to live here in Blair, building a new house or purchasing an existing one.

But this isn't the only development coming to Blair.

This spring, construction is to begin on a new Holiday Inn Express along U.S. Highway 30 on the south side of the city. It's expected to create 15 to 20 jobs and fill the city's need for a new hotel to keep visitors — and tax dollars — in Blair.

With the addition of Dollar General's facility and the new hotel, could Blair be on the verge of even more economic development? New business tends to draw more business.

When Costco announced its plans to build its chicken processing plant, which created 800 jobs, in Fremont, the city of 25,000 soon saw new restaurants and businesses pop up all along its 23rd Street corridor.

With an additional 400 workers coming to town and the potential of more guests staying in Blair, the city will need more restaurants and other amenities to accommodate them.

This is an exciting time for Blair and it will be interesting to see what the future brings.