Dollar General is considering opening a store south of Cortez.

Developers recently informed county planners there is a potential opportunity for a 9,000-square-foot store on a parcel at the southwest corner of County Road G and U.S. Highway 160/491. The driveway entrance would be off Road G, and be located on the west end of the property away from the intersection.

The company is in the “due diligence phase” for the new Cortez store, said Angela Petkovic, a public relations official for Dollar General Corporation.

“This means we are reviewing the opportunity to add a new store in the area, but we have not committed to doing so just yet,” she said.

A final decision is anticipated in early 2020.

A preliminary plan shows the store and parking lot would be on 1.3 acres with room for 30 vehicles. The company said the unused portion of the 5.1-acre lot may be donated for another use, said county planning and zoning director Don Haley. The store would create 6-10 jobs.

A permit application has not been submitted, but initial planning has begun, officials said,

Dollar General has 15,597 retail locations in 44 states. It offers food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, family apparel, housewares, seasonal items, paper products and more. The stores also stock an assortment of packaged foods, including refrigerated and frozen foods.

Dollar General is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. It has been rapidly expanding with 900 new stores in 2018 and a plan to open 975 others this year, according to corporate reports.