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Work Begins On New Wal-Mart Supercenter
By Jason Miller, The News-Dispatch
After waiting more than three years for any signs of life near the corner of U.S. 421 and County Road 400 North, lovers of discount shopping now have a reason to get excited.
“This is just one more olive out of the bottle,” Mayor Chuck Oberlie said Monday. “It's another step toward creating a regional retail draw on the city's south side.”
Construction began last week on the site of a planned Wal-Mart Supercenter, which city officials hope will be open for business by the end of 2008.
First confirmed by officials from the city and Wal-Mart some three years ago, the project has been slow to develop, in part because building at the site involved mitigating a wetland area.
Michigan City Planner John Pugh said Monday that mitigation work at the site became prolonged because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - which oversees wetland work - was short of personnel either because employees were working in the hurricane ravaged Gulf Coast region or serving in the military.
“Those were Wal-Mart's issues and they got them taken care of, so now the work has started,” Pugh said. “They got all their permits, brought in their site plans and everything cleared.”
The project is a large one and includes the new store, as well as an extension of the city's Frontage Road that allows access to other “big box” stores along the corridor like Menards, Lowe's and Meijer.
County Road 400 North - known as Keiffer Road at its intersection with U.S. 421 - will also be widened over a mile-and-a-half swath from Woodland Avenue on the east to Ohio Street on the west.
Michigan City and LaPorte County are working in tandem on the road project because it serves as the city's southern boundary. Currently, the city is still trying to purchase three pieces of property along the road that are needed for the widening.
“Wal-Mart plans on building three driveways that will tie to the new section of road, so that's property we need to purchase,” Pugh said. “We're hoping we have them all soon because we'd like to start bid letting in May.”
A May bid process, Pugh said, would allow the city and county to begin work on the widening project in June or July. He said the project would likely take 12 months, which is in line with the construction schedule presented to Pugh by Wal-Mart.
“You'll see work on the building and on the road at the same time,” he said. “We'd like it all to be done by the end of 2008.”
While the south end of Franklin Street has become a shopping mecca in recent decades, the joint effort between the city and county on the Wal-Mart project has officials hoping for similar projects in the future.
County officials have alluded to the fact recently that they have been in talks with several businesses interested in locating just south of Michigan City on the southern edge of I-94.
Such businesses, though, require utilities at the site, of which there currently are none.
Oberlie said the city and county are working together in an effort to bring the needed infrastructure to the area. The move would be beneficial to both municipalities in that the county would receive tax benefits from the business and the city would add users to its sewer and water service.
According to Oberlie, the county has retained an engineer to design a sewer and water system to be built underneath I-94. He had no timeline for possible work on a sewer project.
“I want to see that area reach its full potential and this is a great opportunity for that,” Oberlie said.
Wal-Mart previously announced that once the building is complete it will move from its current location in Lake Park Plaza. The company said it will try to find a tenant to move into its current location.
By Jason Miller, The News-Dispatch
After waiting more than three years for any signs of life near the corner of U.S. 421 and County Road 400 North, lovers of discount shopping now have a reason to get excited.
“This is just one more olive out of the bottle,” Mayor Chuck Oberlie said Monday. “It's another step toward creating a regional retail draw on the city's south side.”
Construction began last week on the site of a planned Wal-Mart Supercenter, which city officials hope will be open for business by the end of 2008.
First confirmed by officials from the city and Wal-Mart some three years ago, the project has been slow to develop, in part because building at the site involved mitigating a wetland area.
Michigan City Planner John Pugh said Monday that mitigation work at the site became prolonged because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - which oversees wetland work - was short of personnel either because employees were working in the hurricane ravaged Gulf Coast region or serving in the military.
“Those were Wal-Mart's issues and they got them taken care of, so now the work has started,” Pugh said. “They got all their permits, brought in their site plans and everything cleared.”
The project is a large one and includes the new store, as well as an extension of the city's Frontage Road that allows access to other “big box” stores along the corridor like Menards, Lowe's and Meijer.
County Road 400 North - known as Keiffer Road at its intersection with U.S. 421 - will also be widened over a mile-and-a-half swath from Woodland Avenue on the east to Ohio Street on the west.
Michigan City and LaPorte County are working in tandem on the road project because it serves as the city's southern boundary. Currently, the city is still trying to purchase three pieces of property along the road that are needed for the widening.
“Wal-Mart plans on building three driveways that will tie to the new section of road, so that's property we need to purchase,” Pugh said. “We're hoping we have them all soon because we'd like to start bid letting in May.”
A May bid process, Pugh said, would allow the city and county to begin work on the widening project in June or July. He said the project would likely take 12 months, which is in line with the construction schedule presented to Pugh by Wal-Mart.
“You'll see work on the building and on the road at the same time,” he said. “We'd like it all to be done by the end of 2008.”
While the south end of Franklin Street has become a shopping mecca in recent decades, the joint effort between the city and county on the Wal-Mart project has officials hoping for similar projects in the future.
County officials have alluded to the fact recently that they have been in talks with several businesses interested in locating just south of Michigan City on the southern edge of I-94.
Such businesses, though, require utilities at the site, of which there currently are none.
Oberlie said the city and county are working together in an effort to bring the needed infrastructure to the area. The move would be beneficial to both municipalities in that the county would receive tax benefits from the business and the city would add users to its sewer and water service.
According to Oberlie, the county has retained an engineer to design a sewer and water system to be built underneath I-94. He had no timeline for possible work on a sewer project.
“I want to see that area reach its full potential and this is a great opportunity for that,” Oberlie said.
Wal-Mart previously announced that once the building is complete it will move from its current location in Lake Park Plaza. The company said it will try to find a tenant to move into its current location.