09/13/1994 Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

shopping center proposed here. The configuration of the shopping center will only lend itself to this category type center which is a trend in the industry instead of a number of tenants with a variety of sizes and services. In summarizing the study he noted that the report stated the Saturday peak hours would generate 416 cars or 832 vehicle trip ends which would compare to 561 that a super store retailer could generate which is a significant difference. Their main object will be to get cars off the streets as quickly as possible in order to distribute traffic, to control traffic, and to minimi?e pedestrian and vehicular interface; and to help promote the easing of traffic congestion around the site. As a result the consultants did recommend the three access drives; in order to get vehicles off the surround.ing streets and to avoid circuitous routes arou.nd the property. The Water Tower Square proposal will add roughly 6.5 % to the existing traffic volumes that surrou.nds the area. This reporthas been submitted to Mr. Griffitli, the city traffic engineer. They are working on the 24 hour data at this time. Mr. Papandreas clarified that in exhibit 4, the projected generated Saturday peak hour traffic of 832 vehicle trip ends, 416 in and 416 out, was a combination of existing traffic and new traffic which is roughly a 35% increase, and that exhibit 5 would clarify that. He fiuther advised that a general merchandising store and the category retail store were the-same- for the purpose of this study. Mr. Thomas would like the figures based on 24, hours, and Mr: Bender, representing Euthentics, the traffic consultants, advised that nomially they base their studies on peak hours, but he can present these figures for the next meeting. Mr. Thomas did not agree that this should be considered a neighborhood shopping center and noted that Wal-Mart had attempted to convince them that their store was a neighborhood store. He noted that the original proposal, that was brought to the city informally as an alternative to Wal-Mart, showed a combination of office and retail space and it was implied that this would generate less traffic than a complete retail center. He noted that the Engineering firm was the same as Wal-Mart, that one of the owners of Carnegie Management had implied that he had been the real estate agent that brought Wal-Mart and Great Northern together to reach an agreement on their parcel, and he also was thanked by the Mayor for finding a new home for Wal- Mart because the city felt that a 150,000 square foot store was too much to have on this comer because of traffic and other considerations. After that, Mr. Papandreas went from Great Northern to this company and now there is to be 175, 000 square foot of retail space on this corner. He has a problem figuring out why 175,000 square foot of retail space with a lot coverage density that is virtually to its limit will generate less traffic in the long run merely because the trend is, temporarily, toward eategory retailers, but no one can foresee what 175,000 square foot of retail space will become later on, and there is no rule that these stores must remain category retailers. Later these stores could become anything that is permitted in the General Retail District. He asked what assurance the community would have that there will not be a change to retailing that will create more traffic. Since there is an ordinance against super stores, he questioned Assistant Law Director Dubelko if there was anything in that ordinance, which limits the location of super stores over 100,000 square feet to certain areas in the city, that would address the removal of walls in a retail space to create 100,000 square foot of space within an existing retail development where there are four or five 40,000 square foot stores. Mr. Dubelko will research this for a later meeting. Mr. Thomas stated that one of these spaces could become a night club. He has a hard time believing that the community is receiving anything different than before, and since he is looking at 175,000 square feet of retail space, he does not agree that this is neighborhood store. Mr. Papandreas responded that their intent was uot to create a superstore, this is not the market that they want to be in. The desigu of the center is such that it would only lend itself to what it is planned for, neither could it be broken up into smaller units. They believe that the category store is a trend for the future and their leases are for at least 10 years and these tenants have top credit 3