In Peoria, Arizona, it appears they have a new Wal-Mart opening in their town (two of them, actually), but it won’t look anything like the ones here:

The façade of the Oldtown Wal-Mart at Peoria and 79th avenues will make it appear as if it is broken into small shops, said James Mason, assistant to the city manager.

With such features as upper-story windows with awnings and shutters, changes in elevation and materials, the store will give the impression of a variety of stores that developed over time.

“It has that . . . old Main Street kind of look, even though it’s a large, big-box store,” said Mason. “That’s one of the best things you can do with a large, contiguous space. It breaks it up, it makes it more pedestrian-friendly, it makes it more pleasant to look at.”

I hate Wal-Mart, but I quote this article to make a couple points: First, even big box stores (and there’s no bigger box than Wal-Mart) can adapt their cookie-cutter templates to conform to a community’s design standards, in this case making their store façades attractive and consistent with existing architecture.

And second, this didn’t happen by accident. Although the newspaper article made it sound like it was Wal-Mart’s idea, in fact Wal-Mart was simply complying with Peoria, Arizona’s Non-Residential Design Manual. Some of the requirements of that manual can be seen here in this excerpt from their Planning and Zoning Commission’s minutes regarding another Wal-Mart that is being built on the north side of town:

Section 20-70-4 of the Non-Residential Design Review Manual requires rooflines to be varied in height, form, and materials. Building mass is to be broken into small components through the use of recesses and projections, wall plane off-sets and changes in texture and color. The elevation plans for the Wal-Mart structure demonstrate conformance with Design Guidelines. The elevation plans provide ample horizontal and vertical articulation to break up the mass of the buildings. The buildings also incorporate a diverse color and material palette. Decorative cornices along the roof parapet, fenestration and wainscoting have been included in the design. Upon completion of this building and supporting landscaping, the development will provide a significant aesthetic enhancement to the existing commercial node at the intersection of Thunderbird and 75th Avenue.

See, if Peoria, Arizona, can dictate to Wal-Mart what form their big box store should take, surely Peoria, Illinois, can do the same for big and small developments within the Heart of Peoria Plan area… such as on the old Sears block… or along Knoxville between Downtown and McClure. All it takes is a little willpower.