Meijer Developers Seek Approvals From Waukesha Officials

A controversial Meijer development that has drawn protests from area neighborhoods is scheduled to go before the Waukesha Plan Commission on Wednesday for a preliminary planned unit development review.

Meijer, a food, clothing and home goods store, is planning to locate in a vacant parcel of land, pending all government approvals. Construction is planed to begin in 2014 with the store opening scheduled in 2015, if everything moves forward according to the preliminary timeline.

The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall on the 192,940 square foot retail store that is planned to occupy 29 acres of vacant land on the southwest corner of Tenny Avenue and East Sunset Drive.

More than 200 neighbors have signed a petition to block the Meijer development, according to Waukesha resident Ken Heine, because of several concerns:

• Traffic
• Potential widening of Sunset Drive
• Noise and light pollution
• Low-income jobs
• Decreased property values
• Safety of children at four area schools: Wittier Elementary, Heyer Elementary, Waukesha South and Beautiful Savior Lutheran
• Ecological concerns relative to water runoff
• Density of grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies along Sunset Drive

A public hearing about rezoning the property for the development is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Aug. 8 at City Hall, 201 Delafield St. The developers are seeking approval to modify the land use on the parcel from medium and medium-high residential to commercial and isolated natural resource area, as well as changing the zoning from temporary to community business planned unit development.

The Waukesha Common Council delayed voting on allowing water pipes to be placed at the property on Tuesday. The council will wait until the rezoning decisions are finalized before approving the water mains.

Heine was present at the Tuesday Common Council meeting, asking the aldermen to wait on approvals.

“Why is the council voting on extending the water to the proposed Meijer site when it has not been approved or rezoned?” Heine asked during the meeting. “Isn’t that just putting the cart before the horse? Is this the council’s way of telling us they don’t care what the neighborhood or the constituents want?”

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