MINNESOTA SITE FIGHT: LOOKING AT A REDESIGN

Vadnais Heights Wal-Mart redesign proving persuasive [Twin Cities (Minn.) Pioneer Press]

If at first you don’t succeed, do it better.

Since Wal-Mart’s attempt to expand to a supercenter in Vadnais Heights went down in flames last year, it has teamed up with a developer and a top-notch architect whose stylish plan appears to give the city most of what it wanted.

The Vadnais Heights City Council on Tuesday delayed deliberations on a proposal for an outdoor shopping mall that includes a Wal-Mart supercenter to allow more time for public input.

Council members emphasized they have not reached a decision but acknowledged the new plan is attractive. The Village at Vadnais Heights would have sculptures, a small forest and 1.7 miles of walkways in a design that ties into City Hall across the street.

“I like it,” said Joe Murphy, who was elected last fall and is the newest council member. “I like that the style is welcoming, that it’s comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.”

The proposal brings together all the landowners in the southwest quadrant of the intersection of Interstate 35E and County Road E, collectively known as the City Center. If approved, the 32-acre area arguably could become the city’s retail gem.

The architect, Kathy Anderson of Architectural Consortium, was a familiar name to several council members. Her firm designed The Shoppes at Arbor Lake, the Village of Blaine and the redevelopment of Apache Plaza.

Anderson and Manley Commercial, a landowner spearheading the development, has gone to lengths to appeal to the city’s pent-up craving for a downtown to call its own.
Significantly, the old Wal-Mart would give way to a new building on the quadrant’s south side, where the city always wanted it. The move opens up County Road E and Arcade Street for landscaped sidewalks and entries.

Boulevard-style entries include roundabouts with sculptures or fountains at the center. The plan includes 353 trees and plazas with art or outdoor fireplaces geared to entice pedestrians to linger.

Just the idea of tearing down the current Wal-Mart gladdens the hearts of council members who consider the building ugly.

Anderson’s plan calls for stone, stucco and brick, with towers and awnings throughout the village. The supercenter facade would mimic the village materials and concept to a degree, with varied roof heights and styles and wrought-iron benches. The store would be at the back of the village to minimize its impact, Anderson said.

Council members still have reservations about size, noting that the supercenter will dominate the site no matter where it’s placed. Under the plan, Wal-Mart would occupy 193,093 of the 310,793 square feet of retail and commercial space in the village. The current store is 125,5312 square feet.

Council members also worry market conditions will change before the final phase of the project in which most of the major attractions lie: the elaborate landscaping and buildings for 30 smaller retailers and restaurants.

And pretty benches and stonework aside, many residents see only Wal-Mart. Tuesday’s meeting went almost until midnight, and many of those who attended went to oppose the project.

Pam Blanding, of Vadnais Heights, asked if being part of a snazzy development would make Wal-Mart a better neighbor. She and other residents voiced complaints about exterior trash and the outdoor storage of materials.

“You can put stone and pretty landscaping around them, but will they clean up their act?” she asked.

The public hearing will resume at the Aug. 21 council meeting.

“It’s not as easy as saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to Wal-Mart,” said Mayor Sue Banovetz. “It’s an extremely complex issue.”

Wal-Mart has had the go-ahead for an additional 30,000 square feet and for a grocery store since 1991, she said. She and other members of the council said that if they deny the new plan, Wal-Mart likely will add grocery to the current building.

“Then we get nothing out of this,” Murphy said. “We don’t get the City Center we wanted. We don’t get a village concept. We don’t get 35 new retailers.”

They also could lose Target across the street, Banovetz said.

The two big-box retailers are in the midst of a building boom as they compete for market share in the east metro, and it is rumored that Target soon will seek a grocery store at the lucrative Vadnais Heights interchange, she said.

Denying the village proposal could signal Target to look elsewhere, leaving the city with a gaping hole, she said.

“I don’t like big-box retailers,” she said, pointing out that she voted against Wal-Mart’s initial store. “But that’s the nature of our world right now. Some business is going to locate there, and it’s probably a big-box retailer.”