Walmart's Preliminary Plans Approved by Lakeville's City Council

retail picture inched forward on June 6 as the Lakeville City Council approved the retail giant’s preliminary building plans. The company had previously presented their plans to the and those plans were passed subject to a slate of stipulations.

During their presentation to the council and in response to questions from planning and council members, Walmart representatives said they were targeting a tentative opening date during the third quarter of 2012. The company is still revising their final plat plans to address grading and stormwater management plans and has yet to select a contractor for the construction of the facility. Walmart was seeking approval only for their preliminary plan and will bring the revised plan to the council in July for final approval.

Dave Olson, Lakeville’s director of community and economic development, said in his report to the City Council that Walmart’s plan and use was consistent with the city’s zoning ordinance and no variances were requested

Traffic concerns and a roundabout

As part of their own planning process, Walmart undertook an independent traffic analysis to gauge what traffic flow could look like once the facility opens. That study indicated potential issues with the Kenrick Avenue and 205th Street intersection near the site.

“We’ve been looking at this intersection for awhile to see if it had the potential to have a roundabout in the future,” said Olson. “During our own analysis, we found that the store itself wasn’t going to cause this intersection to fail, but with the overall traffic increase in the city, combined with future anticipated development, it will likely operate at an unacceptable level in the near future.”

Walmart has approached the city with an offer to contribute approximately $75,000 toward an estimated $300,000 cost of installing a roundabout at that intersection. The city had tentatively accounted for a roundabout in their future capital improvement projects, but Walmart’s offer to contribute funds to the project could move completion of the project up before the store is open.

The intersection at Keokuk Avenue and 205th Street will like require a three-way stop control as well to help with traffic flow near the entrance to the area.

Parking issues?

Another issue being looked at is the store’s parking situation. While there is space in the preliminary plans for the minimum required 646 stalls, the current allotment takes up the maximum allowed space. The necessary design incorporates angled parking to accommodate the needed spaces, but also results in rows the length of the lot without a cut-through lane.

“The store is right at the minimum number of stalls,” said Olson. “A cut-through lane would take out a large chunk of parking so it doesn’t appear possible. We will have more detailed discussions with designers and bring that back with the final plat.”

Walmart has already taken features such as a drive-thru pharmacy and outdoor lawn and garden retail space out of consideration due to the layout of the 15.9 acre site. A grocery store is still in the plans and the overall size of the facility will place between a traditional Walmart retail store and larger supercenters.

Complaints

Only one resident has formally offered complaints about Walmart's construction to the city during the process.

“One person did raise a question with regard to the lighting visibility in the nearby residential area,” said Olson, referring to the May 19 Planning Commission public hearing.

Original plans indicated the light poles in the parking lot were above the maximum 35-foot height allowed by the city. Those plans have been revised to comply with the height requirement. Walmart will also deploy LED lighting in their parking lot becoming only the second area in Lakeville to utilize the energy efficient lighting method. The Cedar Avenue transit station parking lot is the other.

Olson praised that decision, calling the LED lighting “the wave of the future.”

Walmart representatives hinted that the 150,000 square foot store would employ approximately 250 people, “hopefully all from Lakeville,” said Michael Huebner, Walmart’s local supervisor for the store. “We’re very excited about the project.”

Huebner estimated an average full-time wage could range from $12.49 to $12.99 per hour. That wage represented the prevailing average wage of the company’s Minnesota operations which currently encompasses 74 stores.