Friday, April 12, 2013
Village President Bob Bradley canceled the meeting, according to an email from Village Clerk Kari Torkilsen.
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 …
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The land use work group is supposed to look to the future of Caledonia and what type of development - if any - should be allowed at 4-Mile and Green Bay Roads.
Walmart was the trigger, Caledonia officials acknowledge, but the village must review the land use plan for where the big box wants to build. The land at 4 Mile and Green Bay roads is zoned for residential and light manufacturing. But the land use overlay plan identifies it for a village center, with a mix of high- and medium-density residential and smaller-scale retail, a leftover from when the KRM commuter rail was expected to stop in the area. Walmart has submitted a request for the village to rezone the land to commercial, and has applied for a land use amendment to clear the way for a 182,000-square-foot supercenter. The discrepancy between the land use plan and zoning has Walmart’s applications on hold, and forced the village to …
CARP - Caledonia Advocating for Responsible Planning - has officially incorporated and at least one member is ready and willing to lawyer up to represent their interests against Walmart.
Caledonia residents Jim and Katie Tiderman, founders of CARP - Caledonia Advocating for Responsible Planning - have incorporated the group into CARP, LLC. The Tidermans are the most vocal opponents of Walmart's proposed 182,000 square foot supercenter at the southeast corner of 4-Mile and Green Bay Roads. As part of the process to get permission to build there, the company has submitted rezoning requests and a land use amendment application to address inconsistencies between the village's land use plan and the county overlay plan. At the March 18 Village Board meeting, Jim Tiderman told trustees about the incorporation and demanded that officials answer questions about the inconsistencies between the land use plan and village zoning or the…
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
The Caledonia Plan Commission filled vacant land use work group seats so they can start addressing Walmart's applications.
Work on the zoning and land use plan for the southeast corner of 4-Mile and Green Bay Roads will get underway next month. Three residents and five business residents were added Wednesday to the original land use work group that will work with the Planning Commission to address zoning inconsistencies where Walmart is proposing a 182,000 square foot supercenter. New work group members are: Calstar makes bricks from fly ash. A company official said they hope to gain business from Walmart when they build the new store. If it goes through and Walmart would use Calstar's bricks, it would be the first Walmart store they would help build. Longo Storage is owned by John Longo, who lives across the street from the proposed Walmart site. Mulligan's…
Thursday, February 28, 2013
The Caledonia Plan Commission and a land use plan work group will tackle the zoning of the tract of land where Walmart is proposing a supercenter.
Residents have until March 8 to submit applications to be part of the work group that will look into whether or not the village should rezone land where Walmart wants to build. Members of the village's Planning Commission Wednesday unanimously approved the re-creation of the 2006 land use work group that focused on the Village Center concept for that corner. The group and the commission will work together to reconcile the differences in the village's comprehensive plan and the county's overlay plan. But, the group is only open to those who live and/or own a business within the Village Center area, which runs, roughly, along Douglas Avenue and 4-Mile Road. So, any new members would have to come from within these boundaries. The work is …
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Walmart wants to build a 182,000 square foot supercenter at 4-Mile and Green Bay Roads, but there would have to be changes to the village's land use plan first.
Members of the Caledonia Planning Commission Wednesday will address Walmart's request to amend the village's land use plan to make way for a proposed 182,000 square foot supercenter. The company wants to build at 4-Mile and Green Bay Roads. But, because there are some discrepancies between the village's land use plan and what the county has on file, trustees would have to change some zoning designations to more consistently line up for commercial/retail development. Plan Commission members will discuss during the meeting how to proceed. Here is how the item reads on the agenda: Review, discuss and possible action on how to proceed on an application by Walmart Real Estate Business Trust to amend the Village’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan and the…
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
The Jan. 21 Village Board meeting was short, but power-packed with decisions and information residents need to know.
Walmart's application for a land use amendment will be discussed at the Jan. 30 Plan Commission meeting, Village Attorney Elaine Ekes confirmed Monday. Before the Village Board meeting got into full swing, Ekes told trustees and gathered residents that the retail giant had submitted an application to amend the village's land use plan so it jives with what the county has on file. "Per the procedure in the comp plan, the matter will go to the Plan Commission for an initial review," she said. "I would remind all of you that the Plan Commission is a recommend-only board and ultimately, the decision is up to the Village Board." Ekes confirmed the Plan Commission is not a public hearing, but it is a public meeting residents can attend. "Will …
Thursday, January 17, 2013
The retail giant has officially submitted a request to amend the county's land use plan to bring it in line with Caledonia's plan.
**Updated 10:15 a.m. Jan. 18 Plans are seemingly always subject to change as present-day circumstances emerge. In Caledonia, Walmart is hoping to rewrite the village's plans for the future to accomodate a new supercenter. Walmart has submitted an official request to amend the Racine County comprehensive plan for the southeast corner of 4-Mile and Green Bay Roads. Walmart is proposing a 180,000-square-foot supercenter similar to the one in Mount Pleasant. Their first choice was the corner of 4-Mile Road and Highway 31, but Caledonia's land use plan is very specific about preserving that area as green space. The Village of Elmwood Park was able to turn away a 40,000-square-foot Walmart Neighborhood Market last summer for the same reason. …
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Planning Commission members voted to recommend that the Village Board set a public hearing date about possibly amending Elmwood Park's land use plan.
A public hearing that could help determine whether or not Elmwood Park amends its land use plan will take place but probably not until September. The village's Plan Commission on Monday night voted to send a recommendation to the Village Board for a public hearing so residents can voice their opinions about amending Elmwood Park's comprehensive plan. At the center of the issue is a proposed Walmart Neighborhood Market where the former Kohl's building stands at Lathrop and Durand Avenues. Walmart's site plan includes purchasing that property as well as the three-acre residential lot directly south. Because that parcel, owned by the Heinrichs, is zoned for residential, Walmart is asking Elmwood Park to rezone it to commercial to make way for…
Monday, July 16, 2012
The Planning Commission needs to schedule a public hearing, which is required whether or not they ultimately decide to revise Elmwood Park's land use plan.
The Elmwood Park Planning Commission Monday will discuss whether or not it recommends revising the village's land use plan to allow for more commercial development space. Doing so could potentially clear the way for a Walmart Neighborhood Market at the corner of Lathrop and Durand Avenues. Walmart is interested in buying the old Kohl's building as well as a residential parcel behind the commercial space to make way for a 40,000 square foot grocery store. The site plan pushes the building back about 100 feet, which is why they are asking for the residential land to be rezoned to commercial. The rezone request is triggering the review and possible revision of the village's land use plan. That document is clear about where and how much …
Frances Martin
1:35 pm on Sunday, April 14, 2013
I think that having Bob Bradley as President will go a long way to addressing many of the concerns expressed here--I am hopeful that he and the new Board will be looking at long range planning, particularly regarding the Highway K and I-94 corridor, which now has water available, and thus should be much more attractive to business/commercial development. more ›