Meijer's proposal goes to public hearing in Sussex

Posted: Nov. 20, 2012

Village of Sussex - The public will have an opportunity to speak out on a proposed 200,000-square-foot Meijer's grocery and household retail super store next week.

A public hearing on the store's proposed conditional-use permit is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, at the Sussex Community Center, W240 N5765 Maple Ave.

Meijer Co.'s 42-page proposed conditional-use permit for operating a super store at Lisbon Road (Highway K) and Highway 164 is available for review in the Village Clerk's Office.

The proposed permit includes maps, graphics and other details related to the design, construction, and operations of the 23-acre complex.

In addition to the grocery and household goods store, the site will also include a drive-through pharmacy, a garden center, a vehicle parts sales facility, outside storage area, and a gasoline service station.

Copies of the proposed permit can be acquired from clerk's office for 25 cents per page, according to Village Clerk Sue Freiheit.

During that same evening, there will be a second public hearing at the same location regarding proposed changes in the village land-use map that are necessaryfor the project to be approved by the Plan Commission and Village Board, according to village officials.

The Village Board has approved a change in the zoning code that increases from 125,000 to 250,000 square feet the maximum square footage of any building constructed as part of a conditional use permit in the B-4 zoning district which only includes the intersections of highways K and 164 and highways VV (Silver Spring Road) and 164.

The Village Board has also adopted changes in the village ordinances that will enable the display and sale of liquor along with grocery items.

Prior to the ordinance change, the sales of liquor in grocery stores in the village was required to take place in area separated by a wall partition from the grocery display and sales area.

The conditional use permit will also seek approval for a 24/7 operation for Meijer.

About 60 percent of the store will be devoted to groceries, according to the company officials, with the remaining 40 percent devoted to household goods.

According to village and company sources, the changes in ordinances that permitted a 200,000-square-foot building along with the changes in the liquor code and 24-hour operations were considered necessities in order for the building to be located on the site.

The development of the site has been endorsed by the Sussex Chamber of Commerce and has, so far, encountered virtually no opposition from residents of the village although some residents of the Town of Lisbon, who live near the proposed site, have voiced concerns about increases in noise and light pollution as well as traffic and crime.

The property is in the Town of Lisbon but would become part of the Village of Sussex once developed based on a border agreement between the two communities.