Preliminary plans for a proposed Kwik Trip on the city's far northwest side passed with relative ease at a plan commission meeting in late March, but final approval may not come as quickly.
After concerns from the public were raised to county supervisors and aldermen about the potential traffic increase tied to the proposed development, a traffic impact analysis has now been requested by the county.
David Schmidt made a request before the Waukesha Common Council on April 9, urging that a study be conducted at the site where the La Crosse-based company would build the convenience store and fueling station at the southwest corner of Golf Road and Grandview Boulevard.
'Those of us that live in the community and have businesses in the community will be subjected to the traffic patterns and traffic issues increasing due to semi trucks entering and exiting the freeway,' said Schmidt, who owns the nearby Mobil gas station down the road. 'Traffic complaints have been a number one issue with my customers for years.'
Schmidt said he is worried about the effects of adding a Kwik Trip at this location.
'I am not going to stand here and say that I am not concerned with another corporate Kwik Trip,' Schmidt said, 'but what I can't compete with is the congestion of traffic that may occur when semi trucks are trying to maneuver on and off the freeway, stopping traffic as the trucks travel over Grandview Boulevard to get to Golf Road. People will just not travel to our business if the traffic is an issue and becomes an everyday burden.'
County connection
The land that Kwik Trip would be built sits between two county trunk highways — Grandview, or Highway T, and Golf Road, or Highway DR — which fall under Waukesha County jurisdiction.
Under Waukesha Public Works guidelines, the city requires the developer to prepare a traffic impact analysis under the direction of the county when developments are adjacent to or impacting county trunk highways.
City Planner Doug Koehler said the city was under the impression at the March 25 plan commission meeting that the county wasn't going to require a traffic impact analysis.
But shortly after that meeting, the city received a referral from Alderwoman Kathleen Cummings saying a traffic study should be done.
Koehler said the county has now reconsidered and wants a traffic study.
'This has been a very collaborative effort,' Cummings said. 'Supervisors and two aldermen worked behind the scenes, because they were getting phone calls from their constituents and they felt there was a need to have a traffic study. We don't know what the outcome will generate but feel it was needed. We have responded to the citizens who have had a concern.'
After the study is completed, the county and city will both review the results.
Troy Mleziva, the real estate development manager with Kwik Trip, appeared a little puzzled about the new request because he thought his company had gone through the full process with the county. But he added Kwik Trip will be happy to comply with the scope of the study.
Kwik Trip operations
The requested hours of operation for Kwik Trip will be 24 hours for all uses, according to plans submitted to the city.
The proposed store is projected to have between 15 and 20 full and part-time employees with two to eight on staff at any given time.
There are five Kwik Trips in Waukesha, with one just south of this proposed Kwik Trip, at 2530 N Grandview Blvd.