Politics & Government

A First Glimpse At Gatlin's 'Landmark' Building

A building with room for three storefronts will replace the deteriorating vacant gas station on the corner of Pilgrim Road and Main Street as part of the redevelopment of the Pilgrim Village shopping center.

A developer is just days away from in the Pilgrim Village shopping center to begin a massive redevelopment that includes a Walmart Neighborhood Market as an anchor store on Pilgrim Road and Main Street.

Gatlin Development Co. and pharmacy in the vacancy-laden shopping center. As part of the plan, the Piggly Wiggly, which has sat empty since 2007, and the adjacent mall would be demolished.

The plans also call for the construction of three new retail buildings that will front Main Street. One of those three new buildings is meant to be a “landmark” building that will be constructed in place of the deteriorating BP station on the corner of Pilgrim Road and Main Street.

Find out what's happening in Menomonee Fallswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

With demolition set to begin in November, Menomonee Fall Patch received renderings of the “landmark” building that will grace the corner of the shopping center.

The vacant gas station property is a top priority in the redevelopment plan for village leaders. The village is investing up to $820,000 toward .

Find out what's happening in Menomonee Fallswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A total of $620,000 will fund developer improvements, as well as a right of way land purchase allowing for future expansion of Pilgrim Road. The village also advanced $200,000 to buffer costs resulting from environmental remediation needed on the site.

In return, the development agreement requires construction of a building with distinctive architecture and design. The plans detail a 24-foot tall building with three retail spaces available for lease.

Village Manager Mark Fitzgerald has said this will be a retail building with aesthetics suitable for that high profile corner in the village.

“This will be retail building very with pleasing architecture and appropriate design for that very visible corner,” Fitzgerald said in an August meeting to approve the funding for this project.

According to the plans, the roughly 5,000-square-foot plot that building will be constructed on will also include an area on the corner for an outdoor patio for a restaurant or coffee shop.

Chad Williard, vice president of land use and entitlements with Gatlin, said several businesses have expressed strong interest to locate in the building once it is operational. However, he said it’s still too early to reveal who those future tenants might be.

The plans for the building will only need approval from the Architectural Control Board to go forward, since this is part of a project already given the stamp of approval by the village.

For years, this section along Main Street has ranked near the top of the village’s list of places to revamp. However, the original plan for improving the shopping center was unsuccessful, and the village was forced to change course after several years. Planning Technician Matthew Dorner said earlier this year that Gatlin’s proposal would likely bring needed traffic to the area, and have a catalytic effect on future development along the Main Street corridor.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here