Can a big box store mix together with main street appeal? Eden Prairie is about to find out as Wal-Mart plans a redevelopment that would bring it more in line with the city’s Town Center vision.

Officials from Wal-Mart gave a presentation at Tuesday’s City Council meeting outlining the planned redevelopment, which would add a more pedestrian-friendly front to the existing Wal-Mart, while also removing parking spaces and adding back in green space. Council members will still have to approve the development plan during the second reading at the next City Council meeting. In the meantime, Wal-Mart and staff from the city’s planning department will be working out the final details in an agreement that would allow the store to redevelop in line with the city’s Town Center guidelines.

Wal-Mart has been in Eden Prairie for about 15 years –smack dab in the middle of a section of town now designated as the Town Center. The term Town Center, according to planning documents, “designates the land use for a mixed-use downtown area to be located near the center of the Major Center Area. The 120-acre area is to be redeveloped over time into a compact, walkable, vibrant, pedestrian oriented area.”

“Compact,” “walkable” and “pedestrian-oriented,” are not typically associated with big box stores that have come to dominate the area, but the planned redevelopment aims to add those elements into the existing Wal-Mart.

During Tuesday’s meeting, the project’s civil engineer, Eric Miller, offered more details about the plan.

“We’re removing significant areas of the parking lot,” he noted.
Approximately 50 parking spaces will be removed and replaced with green space in an effort to reduce the total amount of impervious surface (thus cutting stormwater runoff).

To further eliminate impervious surface, Wal-Mart plans to use grass pavers for an access road.

The most notable improvements are architectural enhancements along the front of the building, added Miller.

“We’re proposing a very contemporary rebranding of the front elevation,” he added. The new storefront will include earth tone colors and Wal-Mart’s new logo.

Keeping in mind the city’s master streetscape plan, the new front will include pedestrian lighting an overhang to provide shelter, and textured concrete to “create more of a mainstreet,” “pedestrian appeal” at the front of the store, Miller said.

As part of the project, Wal- Mart will be updating its interiors and adding an additional grocery component to the store. To make room for that, the store will be expanding 1,624 square feet in the form of a loading dock. Yet to be determined is if Wal-Mart will agree to join a special service district. Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, noted that they have been holding all the property owners in this area, the Golden Triangle and City West, to the requirement to agree to be part of the district in the future as the city continues the streetscape plans.

Wal-Mart’s concern was that it was not sure what dollar amount they were agreeing to in the future, Jeremiah added. The city is looking into options for Wal-Mart and during the meeting, both Jeremiah and a lawyer for Wal-Mart said they were close to coming up with a solution.