A Second Walmart Development Could Breathe New Life Into Main Street

Walmart might not be done in Menomonee Falls after all.

A new Walmart Neighborhood Market could occupy the vacant Piggly Wiggly building, N88W15507 Main St. Matthew Carran, director of community development for Menomonee Falls said village officials plan to meet with Gatlin Development later this week to discuss their preliminary plans.

Walmart and Gatlin with the village to build a at Pilgrim and Lisbon roads. Lisa Nelson, a spokesperson for Walmart, said the company pulled back the request following feedback from a neighborhood meeting last month.

Walmart Neighborhood Markets are smaller-scale grocery stores with an average size of approximately 42,000 square feet. The stores feature a full grocery selection, deli and bakery sections, a drive-through pharmacy and a one-hour photo department. There are about 182 stores like these across the country, and each employs about 95 people.

A Welcome Development

Richard Conley, president of Metropolitan Development, has owned the Pilgrim Village shopping center since 1989. In 2007, Piggly Wiggly vacated the center after 23 years in its location. Conley said it’s been difficult to find a business to replace Piggly Wiggly.

“We haven’t had any potential businesses look at that location for the past two or three years,” Conley said. “The market has just dried up and there is very little retail activity.”

Conley had plans to raze the shopping center and build a three-story mixed-use retail and apartment development in its place. However, he couldn’t obtain funding after financial markets came to halt in 2008.

Conley, who said he isn’t working directly with Walmart, said a Neighborhood Market would be a great fit for that location in the center. It would also be a boon to his current tenants.

“It would be tremendous. I think the existing tenants would love to see a national grocery tenant there. It’s my understanding that the new concept would also include redevelopment of the site,” Conley said. “If it goes through, I think that corner will have a completely different look.”

Lynn Wilde owns , which is next door to the former Piggly Wiggly site. She said a grocery store or pharmacy is needed to revitalize Pilgrim Village.

“It would be really nice if this development could get the shopping center going again,” Wilde said. “It’s been empty for too many years.”

David Luebke, manager of , seconded Wilde’s optimism regarding the positive impact Walmart’s development could make.

“It would just be good for the area in general. It would improve the occupancy in the center, and would bring some more people here,” Luebke said.

Integral to Main Street’s Redevelopment

For the past five years the village has attempted to spur redevelopment on Main Street. The village developed a master plan for revamping the Main Street corridor years ago, but the economy has slowed its progress, Carran said.

Carran said early in the development of the master plan, the village hoped two large redevelopments would act as catalysts for further growth along Main Street. The Radisson Hotel, one major piece, is nearing completion. Walmart’s Neighborhood Market could be the second large development the village is looking for.

“We’ll have the bookends for the Main Street development that the village has wanted,” Conley said. “I think it will kickstart redevelopment. Once you get a couple projects going the rest will slowly fill in.”

Carran added that the economic climate in Menomonee Falls is improving, and this could encourage new projects to start along Main Street.

“Looking in Menomonee Falls, basically all economic indicators were up in 2010 compared to 2009, and it appears we are continuing on the right track,” Carran said.

Carran hopes to learn more specifics about Walmart’s proposal for Pilgrim Village later this week. The village has not received any formal submissions regarding the project.

“Hopefully we will have something moving forward very shortly,” Carran said. “As of right now, we are still waiting.”