Business & Tech

Meijer Plans Get Go-Ahead

The Oak Creek Plan Commission unanimously approved site and building plans for Meijer, which will anchor the Drexel Town Square development.

A proposal for Meijer to anchor the Drexel Town Square development moved closer to fruition Tuesday night. 

The Oak Creek Plan Commission unanimously approved site and building plans for the store, which will be built on the east end of the 85-acre mixed-use development near Drexel and Howell avenues. 

Commissioners praised the appearance of the 192,940-square-foot store and a gas station that will be built along Howell Avenue. 

Alderman Dan Bukiewicz said the store's architecture will tie in well with other Drexel Town Square features, including a new city hall-library building to be constructed just west of Meijer. 

"It's a very nice-looking store with the architectural features," Bukiewicz said. 

Meijer, the Michigan-based chain offering grocery and general merchandise, will feature an outdoor garden center and drive-through pharmacy. The company expects to create between 200 and 250 full-time and part-time positions at the Oak Creek store, which will have 60 employees on site at any one time. 

The gas station will include a 2,500-square-foot convenience store. Commissioners said they had been leery of a gas station at one of Drexel Town Square's entrances, but the design and landscaping elements alleviated those concerns.

"A lot of people had concerns about the fuel station on that corner, but it's a nice-looking fuel station," Bukiewicz said. 

Despite a lawsuit trying to prevent its construction and resistance from some Oak Creek residents, plans for Meijer are moving forward. City officials expect construction on Meijer and the city hall-library to be under way by spring. 

Developers believe Meijer will help draw people into Drexel Town Square, which creates a new downtown for Oak Creek. Plans call for first-floor shops and second-floor apartments leading to a town square, with apartments, office space, restaurants also part of the development. 

Some business announcements are expected by the end of the year, with the bulk of announcements coming in the second quarter of 2014. Officials anticipate business grand openings in spring 2015.


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