MONROE - The new Wal-Mart Supercenter site is to going to be a little more green, and the store a little less super-sized.
The company has decided to scale back its 185,000-square-foot store to 156,000 square feet. Wal-Mart representative Hank Gempeler of Foley and Lardner, told the Monroe Plan Commission on Wednesday that "market analysis" determined Wal-Mart didn't need the larger store.
Because the changes are greater than 10 percent of the original plan, the downsizing necessitated another trip for the planned unit development (PUD) through the Plan Commission, and a restatement of the PUD written up before going to City Council. Besides structural and landscape changes, the economic impact numbers also will have to be adjusted.
Construction on the new store could still start within the year. Gempeler said the approval for the revisions would determine how fast Wal-Mart could begin its process of construction drawings, bidding projects and applying for permits before the 13 months of construction could begin.
Plan Commission members asked questions and listened to revised plans for the Wal-Mart PUD last night, before unanimously deciding to allow the reduced footage and subsequent changes.
The Monroe store still will be a Supercenter, Gempeler said, "functionally," with the concept of a Supercenter staying the same. Products and all areas will remain, although square footage in each section will be smaller. The new store will be the same size as the Wal-Mart in Dodgeville.
The site plan now includes more eastern facade and more landscaping on the east and west sides of the store. Truck traffic to loading docks in the rear of the building has been limited to one driveway, and the other driveway will be dedicated as an eastern access for traffic coming from the north.
Parking spaces and a drive-up pharmacy have been eliminated along that eastern driveway; however, some parking spaces will be added to the east side of the main parking lot.
And customers will be seeing more green space. More landscape will fill the area on either side of the eastern driveway. And denser landscaping will be used to separate and buffer the store's west side and frontage road traffic along four outer lots.
Water, fire hydrants and storm and sanitary sewers will remain unchanged. The water retention ponds on site will also remain the same.
Monroe Director of Public Works Kelly Finkenbinder also asked that changes to County N be started before store construction begins.
City Attorney Rex Ewald said the commission's vote to accept the changes gave them a window of opportunity to keep the process moving and help construction get started before fall weather set in. City government procedural requirements for publication of zoning, as well as council dates, all allowed for a Jan. 15 introduction of the revised plan to council and a Feb. 4 public hearing date.
Also being referred to the council on Jan. 15 to set a public hearing date is the Menards' general development plan and specific implementation plan for Phase I. It too could be considered for a vote on Feb. 4.
The company has decided to scale back its 185,000-square-foot store to 156,000 square feet. Wal-Mart representative Hank Gempeler of Foley and Lardner, told the Monroe Plan Commission on Wednesday that "market analysis" determined Wal-Mart didn't need the larger store.
Because the changes are greater than 10 percent of the original plan, the downsizing necessitated another trip for the planned unit development (PUD) through the Plan Commission, and a restatement of the PUD written up before going to City Council. Besides structural and landscape changes, the economic impact numbers also will have to be adjusted.
Construction on the new store could still start within the year. Gempeler said the approval for the revisions would determine how fast Wal-Mart could begin its process of construction drawings, bidding projects and applying for permits before the 13 months of construction could begin.
Plan Commission members asked questions and listened to revised plans for the Wal-Mart PUD last night, before unanimously deciding to allow the reduced footage and subsequent changes.
The Monroe store still will be a Supercenter, Gempeler said, "functionally," with the concept of a Supercenter staying the same. Products and all areas will remain, although square footage in each section will be smaller. The new store will be the same size as the Wal-Mart in Dodgeville.
The site plan now includes more eastern facade and more landscaping on the east and west sides of the store. Truck traffic to loading docks in the rear of the building has been limited to one driveway, and the other driveway will be dedicated as an eastern access for traffic coming from the north.
Parking spaces and a drive-up pharmacy have been eliminated along that eastern driveway; however, some parking spaces will be added to the east side of the main parking lot.
And customers will be seeing more green space. More landscape will fill the area on either side of the eastern driveway. And denser landscaping will be used to separate and buffer the store's west side and frontage road traffic along four outer lots.
Water, fire hydrants and storm and sanitary sewers will remain unchanged. The water retention ponds on site will also remain the same.
Monroe Director of Public Works Kelly Finkenbinder also asked that changes to County N be started before store construction begins.
City Attorney Rex Ewald said the commission's vote to accept the changes gave them a window of opportunity to keep the process moving and help construction get started before fall weather set in. City government procedural requirements for publication of zoning, as well as council dates, all allowed for a Jan. 15 introduction of the revised plan to council and a Feb. 4 public hearing date.
Also being referred to the council on Jan. 15 to set a public hearing date is the Menards' general development plan and specific implementation plan for Phase I. It too could be considered for a vote on Feb. 4.