Supercenter project to begin shortly after holiday shopping rush subsides

The bustle of last-minute Christmas shopping will soon give way to the clamor of construction as the expansion of the Saukville Walmart store begins.

“We have actually started some of the expansion work on the rear of the building, but the real work will begin in January,” store manager Adam Zastrow said.

The store is marking its 20th anniversary in Saukville with a major makeover that will convert the building to a 153,283-square-foot Supercenter.

According to plans approved by the village, the 56,650-square-foot expansion will add a full-service grocery store and provide a substantial face-lift to the store.

According to permits filed with the village, the estimated value of the addition is $4.8 million. Another $3.4 million is expected to be spent on renovations.

The result of the work, according to Zastrow, will be the equivalent of a new retail center.

“It will have a completely different look. About the only thing that will be familiar is the location,” he said.

“I have always felt the store was crowded and showing its age, like most of us after 20 years. This expansion will make customers feel like they are in an entirely new store.”

Getting to that point, Zastrow said, will take some doing.

“We do want to let our customers know there will be some challenges during the construction process,” he said.

Merchandise is already being staged in some of the store’s aisles in anticipation of the time when existing walls are lost and display space is reduced.
If construction proceeds as planned, completion is expected by summer.

In addition to the added retail space, village officials worked with Walmart to ensure the grounds surrounding the store are upgraded.

The parking area will have 10% green space, and a pedestrian walkway will be created around the perimeter of the property.

Project architect Bill Boyden told village officials that the store would pay added attention to maintaining the parking lot and grounds. The current condition of the site has been an ongoing concern of municipal leaders.

To counter the pattern of neglected exteriors, Walmart officials said they have implemented a policy of revitalizing the exteriors of their buildings every three or four years.

If the property is not maintained to the village’s liking, the store could be given a 30-day notice to make improvements or be billed for the work done by the village.

Per its development agreement, Walmart is also working with the Ozaukee County Transit Service to provide a commuter bus shelter and bike rack in the parking area.

The store expansion fits in with the village’s designation of the Highway 33 business district as a key commercial corridor governed by a business-friendly zoning overlay.

With the expansion of its existing store, the retailer has pulled the plug on previous plans to build a new Super Walmart on the west side of Northwoods Road.

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