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Super Wal-Mart Debate
Thu 06/29/2006 -
The City of Stoughton has said 'no' to different development in the past, including a big Wal-Mart. But
now, city leaders say it's time to build on a prime piece of land at
the north end of the city and they're trying to sell a plan to
residents. During a neighborhood meeting, city leaders showed a draft of the plan. It includes space for a large retail store. Wrapped around it will be small businesses. At
the heart of the project is a neighborhood park, which will serve as a
buffer between retail and new homes, including senior housing. The project is slated for the corner of Highway 51 and County Road B. There's nothing but cornfields there right now, but Stoughton leaders hope to transform the area into the city's gateway. "We
need to be clear on what that means. What we're setting out as the
gateway for Stoughton is a 500,000 square foot Wal-Mart," says
Stoughton resident, Kevin Pomeroy. Based on the pictures shown at the meeting, the project resembles Greenway Crossing in Middleton. "Stoughton
kind of sat for many years and not really moved along much. But now
this might trigger things for people in Madison and the surrounding
area might think this will be a better community to live," says
Stoughton native, Randy Teigen. Wal-Mart has not officially made a proposal, but has expressed interest to the city. That has sparked concern from nearby residents about traffic noise and pollution. The project borders the towns of Pleasant Springs, Dunn, Rutland and Dunkirk so, a lot of communities will be affected. The
meeting was the third of four neighborhood meetings designed to get
input from residents on the project before the landowners, the
Linneruds, present a final proposal to the city.
For more information on the original 27 News report, and follow-up stories, click on ''Read the news archives'' or the ''27 News Vault''. 
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