Growth spurt: Commercial development coming in record wave

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Jun 15, 2003 | by Cahalan, Steve

ONALASKA, Wis. - One of the largest periods of commercial development in Onalaska history is under way in the area near the Interstate 90/Hwy. 16 interchange, says Jason Gilman, the city's land use and development director.

"I think we're very fortunate to have all this growth occurring," Gilman said of construction that is under way this year, or expected in the next three to four years.

"Nationally, there hasn't been a lot of retail expansion. But we're capturing a few that are expanding, like Wal-Mart and Toys "R" Us."

Construction of a 205,000-square foot Wal-Mart Supercenter is expected to begin this summer and be completed next spring, just east of The Home Depot store in the Market Place shopping center. The timetable is the same for construction of a 45,000-square-foot Geoffrey store - a new Toys "R" Us Inc. format combining features of its Toys "R" Us, Kids "R" Us and Babies "R" Us stores - just south of The Home Depot.

The Geoffrey store will be part of a seven-acre retail development planned by Pine Tree Commercial Realty LLC, a suburban Chicago real estate development company that also will have about 25,000 square feet of space for small shops in two buildings.

"I think there's an expanding market here, with a lot of population and housing growth," Gilman said of the reason for the spurt in commercial development. "And we have prime land on a major transportation network." He also said Wal-Mart Supercenters tend to attract other retail development.

"There will still be a number of sites available," Gilman said, even after construction of projects the city has listed - for planning purposes on an aerial photo of the Interstate 90/Hwy. 16 interchange. But much less land will be available.

A few years ago, about 130 acres of vacant land were in the area included in the photograph, Gilman estimated. Of that, Gilman estimated about 30 acres still will be available for commercial development after the projects listed on the aerial photo are built.

Once that area fills in, Gilman predicted the next major areas for commercial development in Onalaska will be along Hwy. 53 on the city's far North Side, and in downtown Onalaska. "That could involve demolition or adaptive reuse of existing buildings," he said of downtown development.

Commercial development that is under way or planned in the next few years is expected to require some intersection improvements, said Andrew Winga, a traffic engineer at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation District 5 office in La Crosse.

TOLD Development Co., the developer of the Market Place shopping center, recently provided the DOT and city with an updated traffic impact analysis study that took the Wal-Mart Supercenter into account, Winga said. "Both the city and we are in the process of reviewing that study," he said.

"That study does show there probably will need to be some geometric and signal timing improvements" at the intersection of Hwy. 16 and county Hwy. OS, he said. "We may have to add lengths to the left turn and right turn lanes, to make them longer to handle more automobiles," he said. La Crosse residents driving north on Hwy. 16 turn left onto Hwy. OS to go to the Market Place shopping center, which the supercenter will be part of.

Commercial development on both sides of Interstate 90 also will generate more traffic on Theater Road. "I think (the intersection of) Theater Road and 16 will require more work than 16 and OS," Winga said. McDonald's restaurant and Chi-Chi's Mexican Restaurant are at that intersection, and are across from Valley View Mall.

"I think we're going to have to increase the capacity of that intersection, which is going to require some additional lanes and some signal timing changes," Winga said of the Theater Road/Hwy. 16 intersection. And the four-way stop intersection on Theater Road just west of there probably will need traffic signals eventually, he said.

Improvements will be needed at some other intersections as the area develops.

Businesses that are building or about to build in the Interstate 90/Hwy. 16 interchange have decided the area is a good one for them.

"We like the fact it's going to be in this newly developed area of Onalaska," Lynnae Rivera said of the site - just north of Outback Steakhouse - where she and her husband, Manuel, are building Manny's Mexican Cocina restaurant. "The new Wal-Mart (Supercenter) is going in, and the new First Federal corporate building is going in across the street. We'll be open for lunch, so that will be great for the office buildings over there."

Jim Thompson, president of Stoney Creek Hospitality Corp. of Mason City, Iowa, plans to build a Stoney Creek Inn hotel and conference center near the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center's clinic in Onalaska.

Thompson, who hopes to start construction this fall and open the inn by early fall 2004 said, "The geographical location of La Crosse in our network is excellent." It will be Stoney Creek's ninth hotel and probably will have about 150 rooms. Having a hotel and conference center next to the soon-to-expand medical clinic will benefit both his facility and the clinic, Thompson said.