The City of Whitewater Common Council on June 16 will consider action on a letter of intent [LOI] which has been received from Anderson Ashton, Inc. regarding the approximately 7.21-acre City-owned property located at 1127 E. Bluff Road (Parcel #A405400001).
According to the Council agenda, “The proposal contemplates a coordinated development consisting of two complementary uses: a new approximately 30,000-square-foot Piggly Wiggly grocery store and a new approximately 12,000-square-foot Whitewater Early Childhood Education and Childcare Center. According to the developer, the childcare facility could potentially serve approximately 150 children, subject to final design and licensing requirements.
“The proposed development is intended to address two community needs identified through previous economic development and housing discussions: expanded grocery access and increased childcare capacity. A recent “leakage report” from Redevelopment Resources identified that approximately $8.9 million in grocery sales leaves Whitewater annually. The need for increased childcare capacity has been documented and discussed at multiple public meetings.
“The developer estimates the project would generate more than $10 million in private investment while
creating new employment opportunities and expanding the City’s tax base. The childcare project will also
unlock the extremely generous $10 million funding commitment from Billie and Steve Moksnes.
“As part of the LOI, Anderson Ashton has requested:
= Municipal support for the entitlement and approval processes necessary to advance the project.
= Authorization for City staff to negotiate a Development Agreement.
- Conveyance of approximately 7.21 acres for development.
- City participation in eligible public infrastructure improvements in an amount up to $500,000.
“The LOI is non-binding and serves as a framework for continued due diligence, site planning, financial
analysis, infrastructure review, traffic evaluation, and negotiation of final project terms. If the Common
Council accepts the LOI, staff’s next step would be to negotiate a formal Development Agreement with
Anderson Ashton. The developer will also conduct due diligence on the property. The proposed land sale
would subsequently be reviewed and considered by the Parks and Recreation Commission (PARC), and
any negotiated Development Agreement would be reviewed by the Community Development Authority
(CDA) before returning to the Common Council for final consideration and approval.”
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By way of comparison, our ALDI store is 20,000 square feet, and when that store opened it was indicated that the average grocery store from other major companies is approximately 38,000 square feet. As indicated above, this store would be anticipated to be approximately 30,000 square feet. The property in question has been owned by the city for many years and is behind the east side Kwik Trip. Further information regarding the potential project may be found in the Common Council agenda by clicking on #28.
According to the Piggly Wiggly website, the company founded the first true self-service grocery store in the U.S. in 1916 in Memphis, Tennessee. “Today there are more than 500 Piggly Wiggly stores in 18 states,” they indicate. “Piggly Wiggly stores are independently owned and operated…” According to the Oshkosh Northwestern, “Piggly Wiggly has a particularly strong presence in Wisconsin with more than 85 grocery stores in the state, second only to Alabama.”
