Business & Tech

Village Board Considers Amending Land Use Plan Tonight

Despite heavy criticism from neighbors, the Village President wants to know if he has the Board's support to move forward with the Walmart project.

The Village Board will decide whether to draft an amendment to the land use plan at a Board meeting tonight that could allow a Walmart to be built on State Highway 31 and Four Mile Road.

But the discussion won't be specific to just that corner. Rather, the Board will consider a study that could change the land use plan for all of Highway 31 in Caledonia.

Tom Lebak, the village administrator, said that in order to move forward with any kind of commercial development, in this case Walmart, the would need to be changed.

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“The Village President requested that this item be put on the agenda,” Lebak said. “The bottom line is that he’ll be asking the board: do you want to proceed with the process of changing the land use plan, which requires a study, or tell the developer ‘no thank you?’”

The Walmart project hasn't formally been proposed to Village officials because it would require several approvals before moving forward. The project has received a cool reception from neighbors in the area, but a number of people have commented on Caledonia Patch stories that they would support the project becuase it would increase the village's tax base.

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Hundreds of people attended an in March when Walmart officials presented preliminary plans to build an 115,000 square foot building on the corner of Highway 31 and Four Mile Road. The Walmart store would occupy 40,000 square feet of that space.

The study wouldn't just focus on Highway 31 and Four Mile Road. The scope of the agenda item also encompasses all of Highway 31. This point is relevant because the Board will also hear an update on the possible extension of Interstate 794 from Milwaukee to Chicago, which would go through Caledonia via Highway 31.

Milwaukee County Board Supervisor Patricia Jursik met with village's e last week to update members on the project, which could make it easier for people drive between Caledonia and Milwaukee. The parkway is now a four-lane highway that connects Bayview and other surrounding neighbors to the city over the Hoan Bridge. 

Plans right now call for I-794 to extend south along the Union Pacific railroad tracks to Ryan Road, about six miles south of where the parkway now meets South Pennsylvania Avenue, Jursik told the committee. But it's possible for the parkway to extend further south to the Racine County border or into Caledonia, she said. 

The study committee is run through the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, which is responsible for highway planning in Milwaukee and Racine counties. SEWRPC officials are handling engineering work for the extension, said Jursik, who hopes to finish planning work on the extension by the end of the year.

The Village Board meeting is set to meet at 7 p.m. tonight, May 2, at the East Side Community Center, 6156 Douglas Avenue.


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