Walmart: What Should the Village Do?
Discrepancies between the land-use and comprehensive plans have left Caledonia without clear direction for the site at North Green Bay and 4 Mile roads, where Walmart wants to build.
There's been controversy about Walmart coming to town, ever since the retail giant announced it was looking at Caledonia.
In the latest development, the plans which outline what future use is appropriate in different parts of the village don't outline the same uses for the proposed Walmart site at the intersection of North Green Bay and 4 Mile roads.
On Wednesday, the village's Planning Commission said they need to get things in line, a process that could require bringing in a planner and forming a committee to study the issue.
At issue are the 2006 land-use plan and 2035 comprehensive plan, which don't lay out the same vision for development in the city. Those inconsistencies have thrown a roadblock in front of Walmart's proposed store, and must be addressed before the store could be considered.
Walmart has submitted a rezoning application and requested a land use amendment for the land at the southeast corner of 4-Mile and North Green Bay roads. Walmart wants to build a 180,000-square-foot supercenter similar to the store on Durand Avenue in Mount Pleasant. The property would also include three commercial out-lots.
If you could choose, what would you have the village do?
jama
12:06 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
WalMart-Walmart. You offer NOTHING worth anything. If it were not for low prices, not a person would step foot in your stores. It's too bad so many people are broke.
joe hrdina
11:14 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
go 2 oak creek .
San
12:06 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
there appears to be a mistake in the poll questions. the article refers to green bay and 4 mile as the proposed site, but the poll refers to highway 31 and 4 mile which is a different location.
jks
7:10 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
Important distinction!
Heather in Caledonia
12:06 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
I agree with the Planning Commission that the entire area needs to be re-studied and new recommendations from the neighbors should be accepted. At the time the land use plan was worked out, it was assumed we would have a railroad stop there. That no longer looks like it will happen, so I think citizens living in that area should reconvene a group to specify and adopt a new plan for the whole section. If it is determined that the area should be commercial, I believe it can also be specified what type of commercial activity is appropriate.
Rosanne Kuemmel
11:46 am on Friday, February 1, 2013
Do you have this correct? You're talking about 4 Mile & Green Bay Rds in your article, but your poll is for Hwy 31 & 4 Mile Rd. which is where I want it, but I want to make sure that's what you meant in your poll.
JW
1:21 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
Now the poll is updated.... but it should have included whether it should be at 4 Mile and Green Bay Rd OR at 31 and 4 mile. I voted for 31 and 4 Mile when it was the option and that is still my preference. Now the count is up to 14 for the option that changed... makes me wonder what the breakdown of that would be across the two sites Walmart has shown interest in.
Janine Anderson
11:50 am on Friday, February 1, 2013
You know what, Rosanne, we've got that wrong in the poll. I'll be taking this one down and adding a new one with the correct information. Thanks for catching that!
Mike Itzenhuiser
12:38 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
My mother always told me that if I didn't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all. So on that note, as far as putting Wally World in the beautiful village of Caledonia.................. nothing.
joe hrdina
11:20 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
get the hell out town!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Caledonia Confused
12:38 am on Saturday, February 2, 2013
The ************ and the No Walmart rag. Notice how their mouths never move... almost.
Where you livin'?
Caledonia.
The new Walmart?
We don't want them!
And the reason?
There are many!
Just your main one?
Not allowed here!
Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes they all
Oh yes, they all
Oh yes, they all read all
The plans, the plans, the plans, the plans
Oh yes they all read all the plans
All the plans
Caledonia Confused
12:56 am on Saturday, February 2, 2013
From the musical "Chicago"
http://youtu.be/OxzfUI1wSwU
Michael Michna
7:30 am on Saturday, February 2, 2013
Will Walmart take responsiblity for the empty buildings and lost jobs where Nelson's , K-Mart, Kortendick's and dozens of others once flourished?
Heather in Caledonia
8:09 am on Saturday, February 2, 2013
Michael,
I'm not in favor of Wal-Mart building at that location. Having said that, I'd hardly call Kmart or Nelson's flourishing. I'm glad to see Nelson's hanging on, but I wonder what's going to happen in a few years. I can't see Kmart being around much longer and Nelson's may not be able to continue with the few customers I see in the parking lot from time to time. I know folks don't want retail businesses here and prefer to drive to Racine or Oak Creek, but having something where you can buy a winter coat and a shower rack is helpful. Maybe not Wal-Mart and maybe not anything at that location, but I think we need to discuss what we do want when these 2 businesses are gone. Where should retail development be allowed and what type are we in favor of?
jks
7:36 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
Agree with Heather. Let's get something like a Costco and on a site that already can handle the traffic, garbage, and increased noise without detracting from the neighborhoods. There is so much land west of that site out to I-94 (where the company would draw even more customers).
jeff jandl
9:05 am on Saturday, February 2, 2013
I've they wally world was also looking at a site north of 6 mile on 32?????
River Bend Drive
5:17 pm on Saturday, February 2, 2013
I would like to mention my home assessment from $234,000 in 2007 down to $186,000 in 2012... Can anyone honestly think a Walmart in our neighborhood will help the property values in this area??? Please explain to me why this superstore would be any benefit to anyone in the immediate area...
JW
1:23 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
Property values were overly inflated at the end of the last decade... the assessors FINALLY had to correct that. It is a reflection of the current market.... when the market goes back up, so will home values.... its not a reflection on Caledonia losing value compared to other areas around us.
Frances Martin
8:22 am on Sunday, February 3, 2013
bigbox stores are a benefit to their shareholders,but not to our community because of high infrastructure costs , as the consultants hired by the Village Board noted. Does the Walmart developer, and the Walton family really need more revenue siphoned from Caledonians? Now that Caledonia has an agreement with Racine which will make getting water out to I-94, that's the area where commercial development belongs and will be most beneficial and least disruptive to the residential neighborhoods. If it's possible,it seems to me most beneficial to taxpayers to ban bigbox stores here altogether, and concentrate on courting more valuable (taxwise) businesses near I-94.
Anyone who wants to shop at Walmart can go to the one being built on Hwy 20 and 31,or Hwy 11, or Oak Creek.
I do agree that the Village Center area should be looked at for possibly smaller enterprises, or low impact manufacturing.
San
1:27 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
nothing in the village or the county land use plan permits "big box" development at either of the sites that Walmart requested. The "village center" was intended to be small retail connected to the train station area, if anything, not a "big box" which is a dramatically disruptive force in any community.
It should also be noted that the studies done over the years, including the one paid for by the Village just last year, show that Big box tends to cost more in taxes than they pay to the village in tax revenue, so it is a money losing proposition that is also disruptive to the local community.
So "none of the above" is probably the best answer.