Walmart proposes small grocery-pickup addition at Gold Street store; board asks signage and bike-rack options

Colliers Engineering presented plans on May 1 for a 4,578-square-foot addition to the south side of the Walmart at 725 Gold Street that would expand grocery pickup operations and alter on-site parking and circulation. The proposal includes modest paving and striping changes, one additional light for the pickup lane, and a requested conditional-use allowance to reduce the site’s parking ratio from 4 spaces per 1,000 to roughly 3.73 per 1,000 given the reconfiguration.

Justin Latier of Colliers said the expansion is intended to improve employee safety and operational efficiency for curbside pickup and does not itself create new demand that would increase automobile trips to the store. He said Walmart will restripe the lot and add wayfinding signage directing pickup traffic into the designated lane. Planning staff and board members asked the applicant to remove any plan element that would direct pickup traffic across the front facade of the store and to instead route vehicles through the interior circulation aisles. Staff also urged clearer wayfinding so drivers do not attempt to travel across the building face or into service areas.

Board members and staff suggested adding bicycle parking because the store is next to a rail trail and serves nearby neighborhoods; the applicant agreed to review options with staff. The board opened and closed public comment with no speakers and no written public submissions. The public hearings for the site plan and conditional-use permit closed; staff will prepare a recommendation and the board expects to consider the applications at its next meeting.