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Politics & Government

Walmart Market Heads to Common Council

Retail giant's smaller grocery would fill in vacant big-box building on North 124th Street.

A spirited dialogue on the virtues -- or lack thereof -- of Walmart colored a Community Development Committee meeting Tuesday, and it ended with recommended approval of a conditional use permit for the proposed 24-hour market.

The Walmart Neighborhood Market proposal now heads to the Common Council next Tuesday, after the retail giant on Tuesday won its third unanimous endorsement by a city committee. The and the Design Review Board also endorsed a plan by Gatlin Development Co. to renovate a nearly 65,000-square-foot building at 3850 N. 124th St. that has sat vacant for nearly four years.

The Walmart market would be contained to 38,000 square feet of that space, said Deborah Tomczyk, an attorney with Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, S.C., representing the developer. The remaining space, she said, will be renovated for up to three other retail tenants.

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Cornelia Beilke, of 1443 Alice St., told the committee she was concerned Walmart has a take-over approach that could hurt other city grocers that she described as "pretty fragile." She also cited concerns with Walmart's employment practices, some of which have been subject to lawsuits, and that the wage scale for the jobs is low.

Tomcyk said a development agreement between the developer and the city would ensure the market doesn't evolve into anything other than a local grocery store designed to serve residents within a two-mile radius. As far as Beilke’s other concerns, Tomcyk said, the issue before the committee was one of land use.

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Committee member Ald. Bobby Pantuso said he recognized that when Walmart enters any community, it does so with "a stigma and a rep attached to them. But it is a viable business.

"This will pull in dollars from Brookfield, which I think is great, because we have been giving our dollars to Brookfield for a very long time," Pantuso said, referring to a 24-hour Pick n Save, among other retailers, west of North 124th Street on Capitol Drive.

Committee member Ald. Linda Nikcevich said she received calls from several residents concerned about allowing a Walmart in the city and, "if it were up to me, I would be voting no."

"Knowing that there is a limitation, that it cannot be a full-blown Walmart is comforting," Nikcevich said.

Among the virtues of the proposed Walmart is increased competition among area grocers, said committee member Ald. Jacqueline Jay.

"A little competition among the grocery stores is always a good thing," Jay said, adding that she welcomes the 65 to 80 new jobs the store would bring to the city.

The developer plans to rehabilitate the vacant building to create a neighborhood market and pharmacy, including a drive-through pharmacy window. The market will be a smaller but full-service grocery, including a full delicatessen, fresh bakery, produce and meat, as well as pre-prepared meals and other typical grocery fare.

The recommended conditional use approval includes a six-month review of round-the-clock store hours.

 

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