Is The Wal-Mart Project Dead?

Wal-Mart has yet to present any formal proposals to the Racine County Planning Department.

So does that mean the project is dead? Maybe. But maybe not.

Hundreds of people attended an informational meeting last month where Wal-Mart officials presented their preliminary plans to build a 115,000 square foot store on the corner of Highway 31 and Four Mile Road.

Most of the people who attended the meeting opposed the project, but they also raised concerns that the project isn't allowed under the current land use plan, that the project would be too abrupt of a change in a low density residential area and that the project would negatively impact a conservation property located across the street.

Lisa Nelson, a public affairs and government relations official with Wal-Mart, said they were going back to the drawing board on the Caledonia store.

“The team that made the presentation at Gifford School is still trying see if they can mitigate the issues residents brought forward at the meeting,” she said. “So there’s no decision yet, but I thought it was a very good meeting where people talked about their concerns openly.”

At the Gifford meeting, Ron Coutts, the Village President, had said the matter was in their ball court and he would likely call a meeting between the Planning Commission and the Village Board to see if there was enough interest in the project to move forward. However, in speaking with their village attorney, Coutts said he was advised that if Wal-Mart hasn’t submitted any plans, there was nothing to talk about.

“I can’t hold a meeting about something that hasn’t been formally proposed,” he said.