Crossroads Shopping Center Makeover Plans Approved

The maroon Crossroads Shopping Center will be modernized for the first time since 1986, with a bigger, newer looking grocery store anchoring the middle of it.

The Architectural Control Board unanimously approved plans on Monday  to expand and move the Pick ‘n Save to the center of the shopping center at N96 W18501 County Line Road. In addition, the entire center will receive a new look that is designed to match the façade of the JC Penney store there, said Matt Carran, director of community development.

The center will expand by about 30,000 square feet to “accommodate the bigger grocery store,” Carran said in an interview with Patch on Tuesday.

Officials said the improvements seem to be a win-win for the key shopping corridor. Right now, the maroon awnings of the center are not in sync with the newer look of the JC Penney store at one end.

“We approved it because the changes are a vast improvement over what’s currently there, from an esthetic point of view,” said Patrick Yates, Architectural Control Board member. “The whole façade is being redone to incorporate some of the architectural elements used in the remodel and to update the façade of shopping center. It was dated and needed a face lift.”

Carran described the plans as “refacing the entire shopping center” in addition to enlarging the grocery store and moving it.

The shopping center is currently anchored by JC Penney on the west and Pick 'n Save on the east, with small tenants in between.

“They are trying to blend it in more with JC Penney,” Carran said. The Penney's building used to be a Walmart, and “when JC Penney moved in, they did substantial improvements to the exterior of the building to give it a different image.” JC Penney owns its own building.

This will be the first full façade change of the rest of Crossroads since 1986, Carran said. The new façade will contain a “lot of Lannon stone,” he said.

The changes don’t have to go to the Village Board. There are also some small improvements to the parking lot involving lighting and more plantings. That will be discussed at the Plan Commission meeting on July 10, Carran said.

Other businesses in the center include , , , , and others. Those are expected to remain.

“It appears they are all going to stay,” Carran said.

However, the Fashion Bug in the center is expected to move elsewhere.

Carran said the expansion to the grocery store will occur behind the center so “it will not be visible from any public road, and there will be a berm behind it. By moving the grocery store to the middle, they need to bump out the back side. So from the front, you won’t notice anything other than the refacing.”

“It looks very nice,” added Yates.

R-K Associates of Waukesha Limited Partnership owns the building and applied for the changes. The grocery store is not expect to increase employees.