I went to last night’s Zoning Commission meeting; I was late, but in time to hear the Sheridan Village case.
First of all, the placement of the store on the site is better than I had anticipated. It will be connected to the rest of Sheridan Village similar to the current leg. Secondly, I was happy to hear that the huge metal awning-like structures would be removed in the renovation. Thirdly, I was pleased that the site plan review board and city staff had made a number of conditions to improve pedestrian access and the physical look of the building (for example, adding sidewalks along Lake Ave., using the same building materials on all three exposed sides of the building, making the “back” of the store look and possibly function as a front of the store by adding windows and access points, etc.).
However, I do have some reservations. The building is evidently too big for the parcel. They want to put an 89,000-square-foot big-box store where there used to be 30-40,000 square feet of smaller specialty stores. Combined with the outbuildings that have already been built in the northeast parking lot, and the space they need on the west side of the building for truck loading/delivery areas, they will be losing no small amount of parking. It’s a tight fit. And that tight fit is being cited as the reason certain transitional buffer yards and setbacks can’t be met by the developers. This grocery store will be larger than Kroger or Schnuck’s. It looks to me as though they’re trying to put 10 pounds of flour in a five-pound bag.
Also, and this is just my perception, but it appears that Hy-Vee is making very little revision to its cookie-cutter store layout. This store is designed as if it were a standalone, traditionally-sited grocery store with a front, public face, and a back, industrial-like face. Unfortunately, the leg of Sheridan Village that this store will be mostly replacing has parking on both sides of the building, and both the east and west sides face the public. In fact, the design of Sheridan Village is for there to be public access from the east and the west. Because the setting is unique, the design of the store needs to be unique as well, and it doesn’t appear that Hy-Vee is willing to change their planagram.
Finally, I’m concerned about the liquor store. Hy-Vee is planning to have a fairly large liquor section called Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits with what appears to be its own entrance, although it’s attached to the grocery store. But from the outside, based on the artists’ renderings shown last night, it looks like a separate liquor store with separate signage from the grocery store. If you’re walking up the sidewalk from Bergner’s, you would come to the liquor store first, then the grocery store. This doesn’t strike me as blending well with the established family-friendly atmosphere of Sheridan Village. If you consider this element in isolation, I don’t think neighbors would be too thrilled about a standalone liquor store opening in Sheridan Village. Again, I’m not saying that it is a standalone liquor store, only that it appears that way on the outside because of the facade design and signage. I’d also add (only partially tongue-in-cheek) that I’ll be curious to see if the council puts the same restrictions on Hy-Vee as they did on the now-defunct Adams Supermarket (limited square-footage for liquor sales, off-duty police guards, etc.).
The Zoning Commission unanimously approved the zoning request with all of staff’s conditions (and there were several). The owners will now have to file a revised site plan that meets those conditions.
I put my two cents about this on my own blog, but here it goes. Name one current store (ie Radio Shack) that faces the east parking lot that the west entrance looks as good, or even similar to its east entrance? CEFCU tries, Bergners achieves, but the rest? So, why is Hy-Vee being held to this standard when the high percentage of the shops that used to inhabit Sheridan Village do not? Take one look at the old Cohens….. How do you have any type of flow if there are two or three points of access on different sides? Can you imagine a Wal Mart with three entrances?
Regarding the liquor section, I’ve been to several grocery stores with attached liquor stores. It’s no different than the lumber section at Lowes having its own checkout or the pharmacy at Walgreens with its own checkout. I don’t see the problem here.
As far as an entrance in the back? Landscape it so its not an eyesore, but otherwise, why? I don’t want to enter a grocery store through the loading dock. Are they supposed to put a dozen checkout lanes in the back of the store too?
I agree with Chef Kevin. This is going to look so much better than what currently sits there. I was told at the meeting the other night in private that the owners of Sheridan Village have a couple of options. One is to do nothing and rent to lower end stores like Dollar General and other stores at that level or get another anchor like HyVee which will then allow them to renovate the whole site. I hope by placing too many restrictons on them they don’t pull out.
As far as the liquor store goes what is the big deal? Don’t most stores like this have one now? Sheridan Village is not the same kind of center it was when it opened and hasn’t been for years. If you are looking for that try the Shoppes or Metro. As much as I would like to see it become more like Metro I don’t see that happening and this development they are proposing sounds like a very good thing for the village and surrounding area.
That settles it then. HyVee will be relocated out at Grande Prairie đ
I think Hy-Vee is looking at some prime real estate on 150 near the new Prarie Home Alliance in EP. Then the best next step for the Sheridan Village is to take some bulldozers to the existing mess and turn it in to a nice park. Hy-Vee is an excellent corporate citizen and builds very high end stores, especially new ones like what’s proposed here. I rather look at the back of a HV than the front of a store like WM on University. Who said “Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien.”
(The best is the enemy of the good)
I have been to the HyVee in Galesburg a few times and it is top notch! Wherever, they put it, it will be another asset for Peoria!
We have had an annoying habit of bending over for any big box that wants to come to Peoria- economics, aesthetics, common sense, etc be damned. I think plunking a cookie cutter HyVee into the Village would be a major blunder. Several communities throughout the country are biting back on âformulaâ business- those who insist on having a uniform look and cookie cutter approach. Iâd rather have a unique store that fits the facility and the wishes of the residents more than a Big Box that is dropped in. This is our community. I, for one., would prefer it look like Peoria, rather than an ugly collection of Big Boxes and Strip malls.
Conrad, while I agree I’d rather not see some cookie cutter design, I don’t get the restrictions being put on Hy-Vee when those restrictions that are “supposedly” there are obviously not. This isn’t a pro-Hy-Vee stance, it is common sense..I can’t see a supermarket with 2-3 entrances on opposite sides of the building.
Conrad, you also have to consider the position of the owners of the real estate that continue to pay morgage, taxes and insurance on vacant property. They should certainly have more say in the matter than the blog posters.
As the son and grandson of realtors (and my dad specialized in commercial realty and, until his death in 2004 was quite professionally active in our community), I do understand business needs, Diane. However, it seems like all the cow-towing our community has done to Box Box retail has not bettered our community one iota. Chef, like yourself I donât believe making Hy Vee jump through unreasonable hoops. Rather, I challenge Hy Vee to depart from their standard formula and come up with a store that both fits their business needs and the needs of the community. I also challenge our planning and zoning folks to be flexible while using common sense. I see no reason why this canât be a win-win scenario.
Who decides what benefits the comunity? Doesn’t a store that merely sells goods to consumers who wish to purchase them benefit he community? The problem is you want this business to fit some kind of ideal and you want it to be more than it wants to be.
Why should it depart from its standard formula, it works and people like it enough to make the company successful. Why can’t you be the one to depart from your line of thinking
There you go again, Bravo. The problem with your âlet the free market prevailâ scenario is that anytime the government â in our case, the local government- steps in with incentives; it is no longer a matter of free market. The deck has been stacked and the playing field is not level. Since incentives and the services the Big Box will need- plowing, policing, fire, sewer, etc- impact public coffers, then such matters legitimately fall within the public purview. Community standards should be taken into account in situations such as these, particularly since the community is a stakeholder.
Bye bye Hyvee… it was a nice idea while it lasted. đ
I agree with whomever it was that commented about make the store look like the area it’s in, not a cookie cutter deal (Conrad, I think). However asking them to have three entrances is a bit over the top. Build it so that it is aesthetically pleasing without being so design restrictive that HyBee decides to pull out before they even get started. I also agree with Diane V, HyVee will be a great addition to the area, no matter if it’s at Grand Prairie, Sheridan Village, Pioneer Park, Northpoint, etc.
Just making my agreement known… got nothing unique to add at the moment.
Peoriafan,
The meeting at the Fashion Bug was convened because people in the neighborhoods (over 100 in attendance)were concerned and had questions about the proposed plans- not because they were necessarily excited.
You must not have been listening to my comments because they were not negative. I raised several issues about the process. I suggested they slow the process down until Hy-Vee and the Emmes group can get more feedback from the community. I suggested some visioning activities. I suggested the Council person hold more meetings to discuss the possiblities. Donât you think their businesses would be more successful providing what the community wants? I said this could be a major opportunity.
Many people in the crowd were too intimidated to say what they were thinking because they not only fear speaking in public, but they fear people will ridicule them or retaliate against them in some fashion. Is that not why, in part, people post anonymously?
Urban planning is important and it should be one of the first considerations as projects come forward and before design decisions are made.
I agree with the comments made by Conrad Stinnet when he said
â⌠Rather, I challenge Hy-Vee to depart from their standard formula and come up with a store that both fits their business needs and the needs of the community.â
Peoriafan, call me anytime 682-6447 or 696-7530 â because you have misrepresented my postion and I would be happy to talk with you about it in person.
I thought the idea was to improve Sheridan Village. You’ve just described a situation where the status quo is maintained. Is that the kind of city planning you want? However the tired, rundown property looks, that’s how we want the new development to look?
It’s a 4,000-square-foot liquor section — an area about 500 square feet larger than the current Radio Shack in Sheridan Village, or about a third the size of the Friar Tuck liquor store. All I’m saying is, that’s going to change the character of Sheridan Village. Maybe you think that will improve it. I have my doubts.
But landscaping isn’t going to keep it from being an eyesore. Have you ever driven behind, say, Target and Cub Foods on West Glen Ave. (the part that goes behind Glen Hollow)? There’s landscaping on Glen to hide the back of those stores, but they’re still ugly. The point is, there is no “back” to that part of Sheridan Village. It has three “fronts.” They need to be designed that way.
There are creative ways to provide access from both the east and west sides without having to create two checkout-lane areas. It’s not the impossibility many commenters imply. But it would require Hy-Vee to deviate from their planagram.
Are you talking about the west side or the east side?
Ah, good old fear and intimidation. “Either we get exactly what we want, or we’re going to run down the property just to spite you.” Nice.
I don’t believe we should just settle for whatever Joe Developer wants to plop down in our neighborhoods. Each time you settle, the bar gets lowered a notch. People shouldn’t have to go out to the Shoppes to get a higher caliber of stores, services, or amenities. We should have more pride in our urban shopping centers — and we should expect more from them, not less.
There it is. I knew it was inevitable. In fact, I’m going to declare right now something I’ll refer to from now on as “Summers’ Law of Peoria Development Debate” — “The longer someone criticizes a potential development in Peoria, the probability of someone claiming the development will move to East Peoria approaches one.” More fear and intimidation.
Is that like saying you’d rather have really bad jock itch than the measles?
In Peoria, it’s the other way around. We could have the best, but are too quick to give in and settle for less.
Suppose I said, “You also have to consider the position of the administrators and school board members who are hired and elected (respectively) to make decisions on what’s best for the education of public school students; they should certainly have more say in the matter than the blog posters.” Agree?
No one said they had to have three entrances, just one on the west side as well as one on the east. And windows to break up the monotony of the facade on the “back” side.
Nothing the site plan review board asked for was “design restrictive,” unless by “design restrictive” you mean, “anything that isn’t exactly what the developers proposed.”
CJ: “Suppose I said, âYou also have to consider the position of the administrators and school board members who are hired and elected (respectively) to make decisions on whatâs best for the education of public school students; they should certainly have more say in the matter than the blog posters.â Agree?”
Zing!
“There are creative ways to provide access from both the east and west sides without having to create two checkout-lane areas. Itâs not the impossibility many commenters imply. But it would require Hy-Vee to deviate from their planagram.”
As I said on my blog, “Position either the liquor or the pharmacy department on the northwest corner, thus allowing for an entrance on the west side of the building while retaining the main entrance on the east side.”
(And just for fun because I rarely get the chance to correct you, CJ, it’s a planogram, not a planagram. đ )
Did you enjoy that? đ
Yes, quite.
My CJ, you have been busy. My suggestion…COMPARE APPLES TO APPLES. It’s easier to notice the worm holes that way.
Is planogram really a word, or did you just make that up?
Yep, Diane, it’s really a word. Learned it working at Walgreens.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planogram
And CJ, I cracked up at your question “Is that like saying youâd rather have really bad jock itch than the measles?” LOL! I was the one who said make it aesthetically pleasing… I think someone else shortly after me put it best – put the “liquor store” at one part of the store so that there is both an entrance and a checkout at both sides of the store.
I wasn’t at the meeting – how are they orienting the store? I’m assuming it’s the same as Cohen’s was since there isn’t easy parking along the Lake street side of the store. Although I suppose they could have parking on the east & west sides of the store & put handicap parking along the north side.
“I thought the idea was to improve Sheridan Village. Youâve just described a situation where the status quo is maintained. Is that the kind of city planning you want? However the tired, rundown property looks, thatâs how we want the new development to look?”
No, I don’t. However, it is painfully obvious that the look Sheridan Village or the city wants Sheridan village to present hasn’t looked appealing for 20 years. The “back” has never looked as good as front (minus Bergners). Maybe that concept just doesn’t work as well as someone thought it would or should and a new thought process and design be incorporated instead. Why try to get a design to work that hasn’t worked in 20 years? Because the idea sounded great when the place was built 40+ years ago?
Anchor stores in malls work with having 3 or even 4 sides be presentable in an attractive fashion all the time. Why is this concept so hard to grasp? Cause it is a grocery store? I have seen grocery stores as anchors before. It can be done. Maybe HyVee won’t do it but it can be done.
I have voiced this before to others face to face before, that it is quite possible the current developers are using Sheridan village as a deduction. It might be quite possible that they fully expect the HyVee effort to fail and will leverage that a justification for a deduction. ie We tried everything to rent this place but alas we couldn’t; proceed to deduct the losses.
People need to be mindful of what has happened there. Businesses haven’t so much as failed but rather were driven out in one fashion or another; and that was long before HyVee.
Other than Village Plantation what business were “driven out”?
THIS project spells the end of Sheridan Village. I’m expecting, anytime soon, to hear Bergner’s close it’s (Village) location. I’ve always thought IT was overrated anyway!
Bergners has a lease to at least 2012.
They have kept their Pekin Mall store open 20 years longer than I thought they would. A lot of people shop the Village location rather than drive all the way to the Shoppes. I think they will be sticking around.
“This doesnât strike me as blending well with the established family-friendly atmosphere of Sheridan Village. If you consider this element in isolation, I donât think neighbors would be too thrilled about a standalone liquor store opening in Sheridan Village.”
Alcohol is anti-family? I guess you better tell all of those cultures that find it perfectly compatible with “family values”. [Was there a classist or racist undertone in your original statement that I missed?]
Perhaps you prefer we go back to making our own.
Stan’s Wine & Liquors once operated out of Sheridan Village, before moving to its current Metro Center location.
Can’t get much more “family friendly” than a grocery store.
There are at least four if not five restaurants in the Village that serve liquor. Not too worried about a grocery store selling some either. As long as Sheridan Liquor’s stay’s opened I am not too worried about the Village getting seedy traffic.
I go to HyVee in Iowa when I am visiting my sister. It is a wonderful store. The restaurant area and the carry out area is great for thoes of us that work and don’t have time to put out a good nutritious meal every day. It is always very neat, clean and bright. I was excited to hear that it was coming to Peoria.
They would be a good neighbor and would bring jobs to the area.