Walmart Land Use Group Meeting Canceled

The public input meeting for the group addressing issues with the site where Walmart wants to build has been canceled.

A notice from Village Clerk Kari Torkilsen went out early Friday afternoon.

The Caledonia C1/C2 Workgroup Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 17th had been cancelled by Village President Bob Bradley. A rescheduled date has not been determined yet but we will let you know as soon as he decides. Thank you.

The C1/C2 Workgroup refers to the group of residents - both individuals and businesses - along with past and present public officials and past and present Plan Commission members that is addressing the rezoning and land use amendment applications submitted by Walmart.

Bradley told Patch that he canceled the meeting because he doesn't feel as comfortable as he thinks he should with the issues related to the matter.

"I want to understand the whole picture from what the village's responsibility is in all this," he said. "I am well-versed in where the residents stand, but I need a crystal clear understanding from the village's side."

Bradley also made a point that as the newly elected president, he doesn't even officially take office until April 16, the day before the meeting, and he hasn't met the members of the Plan Commission yet. But what he really doesn't want is to spend more money on lawyer fees when the village is already cash-strapped.

"The only people getting rich here are the lawyers," Bradley said. "And I'm not saying we won't reschedule, but I want to be sure this is the best way to proceed, and right now, I'm not at all sure that it is."

He recognizes that residents will question why he isn't up to speed since he knew months ago that he was running for village president and Walmart was already a hot-button issue.

"I think they should reasonably ask why I don't already have my arms around this issue," he said. "But we're going to have a new board seated and it should be up to them whether or not and how we address Walmart's requests. I think the Plan Commission needs to make a 'yes' or 'no' recommendation and let the board take it from there."

Walmart wants to build a 182,000 square foot supercenter at the southeast corner of 4-Mile and Green Bay Roads. They ask differences be addressed in how the land use overlay designates different uses than for which the land is zoned. 

This would have been the second meeting of the group, and the first designated for public input so residents could talk about what they want to see in the area.

Resident Katie Tiderman said she respects Bradley's position and understands his decision. She just wants to be sure that if the work group does go forward, that more retail represenatation is included.

"We need a greater local retail presence on the group," she said. "I understand where Bob's coming from and I respect his decision."

In February, Village Administrator Mark Janiuk and Attorney Elaine Ekes suggested reconvening the neighborhood group that originally worked on the 2006 land use plan, and on March 13, members of the group were chosen by the Plan Commssion.

Patch spoke with Plan Commission member Bill Folk, but he hadn't spoken to Bradley and was unaware of his reason for canceling the meeting.

"As the chair now of the Plan Commission, it is his discretion to cancel the meeting and then reschedule it if he wants to," he said.