Question of the Week - Why did the Village bring Walmart to Skokie?

And in response to many replies to last week's email concerning the new Walmart, Trustee Lorge provides a more detailed response.

It is wonderful to have residents who are concerned about the overall welfare of the community and who are engaged in how we develop our Village.  We know there are many varied opinions about the use of "big box" stores as part of economic development.  Certainly we can point to many very successful projects that involve a retailer like Walmart.

 At the same time, we know that the current trend is not favorable for industrial and manufacturing zones and therefore, we need to look at other avenues for development.  Moreover, Walmart and other large retailers are a reality of today's economy and have been for decades.  The Village cannot ignore this reality in its economic planning, especially when the large retailers have previously situated in Lincolnwood across from this site and in Evanston down the block from this site, not to mention Morton Grove and Niles where Walmart already operates.

The key to us is that it is more than simply dropping a big box store in the middle of a community.  I point to these factors in this project that make it a solid development for the residents of Skokie:

1.     The land being used has been vacant and under developed for years and needed one large project to revitalize;

2.     The property being used was the location of an old chemical company and over $1m was spent by the developer to clean up the site.  Few businesses would have such financial ability;

3.     The project is much more than a single big box.  It is a total development with a medical building and many shops facing out to Touhy which will create a dynamic commercial zone beyond Walmart itself;

4.     The project has a million dollars in improvements to the street and traffic infrastructure; and

5.     This Walmart is not a grey low cost building.  It is a very attractive building with architectural elements that are visually pleasing and therefore, will not detract from our Village

6.     The property will be maintained and enhance our Village creating a new dynamic shopping destination in our Southeast region;

7.     The development will generate new revenues from sales tax and property taxes that will be directed into services that will benefit you and all Skokie residents and provide over 300 new jobs.  There are many people who need employment who do not qualify for highly skilled jobs.

Please email or call us if you have additional comments or questions.

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