Ground was officially broken on the Walmart project on Wednesday, as about 25 project supporters — and about that many protesters — gathered at the site along Carroll Avenue.
Construction will take about a year, Walmart officials said, putting the opening in late spring/early summer of 2013.
Demolition of the buildings on the west side of the property will begin in the next couple of weeks.
I’ll try and provide regular project updates as work progresses.
South Milwaukee Blog 
If we have any concerns about the building process, traffic issues, noise anything else that comes up who should we contact? Sense they have closed 11th Ave traffic is horrible. I can’t imagine what is going to happen once the store opens 😦 Just wondering when the traffic light will be installed, hoping now for the neighborhood sake. Thanks!
I would contact one of your two aldermen with those concerns: Craig Maass or Frank Van Dusen III. I am not sure on the traffic light, but suspect it won’t be installed until the project gets closer to completion and shopper traffic increases.
Was there public money involved in this project (I think there was). If so it seems pretty hard to justify to me…
Dave: The city, through a TIF district, is spending up to $1.8 million to fund cleanup of the property. The borrowing we’ve executed for the project will be paid off through higher property taxes generated from the new development (payments based on a guaranteed mininum value of $12 million well into the 2020s). Some believe we are “giving” Walmart $1.8 million, and that’s simply not true. We are borrowing money to pay for cleaning up land that we own — and thus spur its redeveolopment. This project (nor maybe any) would not occur without this kind of incentive, not in these times.
@Erik I’m well aware of how TIF works, and I’m sorry but this is really an unfortunate use of this tool. Did you put any restrictions on the land so as to not allow Walmart to keep it vacant when they move? Understand that they will move eventually and I hope for South Milwaukee that the TIF will be paid off before they do. Our country is now littered with vacant big boxes with little hope to put them back in productive use, because Walmart restricts their use and often this happens when the next town offers Walmart the next tax deal.
Dave: Yes, Walmart could move one day. And probably will. But it was hard for me to base a vote on what might happen 20 or 30 years from now. So the focus was on protecting the city’s interests for as long as we can — and we did. Walmart has guaranteed, in writing, to pay property taxes on that parcel based on a $12 million valuation into the late 2020s (and hopefully beyond). That is a significant guarantee that I understand other communities have not gotten. And this is well after the borrowing will be paid off (and hopefully well after the TIF closes).
@Erik I see the payback period is 9 years so that’s good, so the taxing districts will eventually get something. Were there any guarantees that no restrictions will be placed on the future land sale? (without this pretty huge mistake) Finally, it might not be a direct subsidy (though a TIF does actually include a small direct subsidy, the existing tax base) but essentially Walmart is using its taxes to pay for its construction (in this case cleanup on public and private land), and my guess is that the construction won’t have much or any value when they do leave. Call it a subsidy or not, it was clearly public assistance to a couple of private entities (that may or may not be ok, but that’s what it is).
The payback period is shorter than nine years, but, no matter what it is, you are right: This is a subsidy. But developments like this don’t seem to happen these days — especially in this economy and with a problematic (contaminated) piece of property like the one in question — without some incentive from communities. So I was OK with it, especially because we have a responsibility to help clean up the land we own anyway. A sizable portion of the city’s contribution to this project is going to fulfill that responsibility. As to your concern over what happens with a future land sale, I don’t think there is anything regarding that possibility (eventuality) in the contract. You are right there as well: We may regret that 20 years from now. Or Walmart may thrive in this location for decades upon decades. I guess we’ll see.
This will be a GREAT addition to SM. I cannot wait for it to open.
I go that way on the way to work and a couple time a day at other times. No traffic issues that I’ve seen, although NOT looking forward to another stop light within 2 blocks of College. I did see some of the workers, etc. entering the property from College. (Is that 11th, past the auto body shop on College?). Doesn’t seem to affect anybody there.
Drove thru at 4pm Tuesday..
Took four red lights to go west on college from 10th… ya! No problem … another 6000 cars will only take 10 red lights .. guess it doesn’t matter when your on the cities’ timeclock… taxpayers will cover it
Smdre: You are right. This shouldn’t be. I told our city engineer about this — waiting multiple light cycles to make a left turn there — and he’s looking into it. We’ll address it. We can engineer around that concern, just like I think we can engineer around other major traffic-related concerns due to Walmart. At some point, I have to trust the engineers when they say Chicago Avenue can handle the extra traffic. I do, even though I know others are dubious.
What a joke Erik! Your 25 supporters were the council, Walmart officials and lawyers … why you even announced the groundbreaking as a ceremony leaves me at a loss .. the gates were guarded and no one elae was allowed to partake – opposition or not!
festivities except the
finally a place to buy underware
AND to see pictures of “The People of WalMart”
Hooray, the Wal-mart is finally coming, can’t wait. I also drive this way 2-3 times a day and find no problem with the traffic, this has always been a busy intersection, Wal-Mart being their or not.
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