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Plan Commission backs Woodman’s‑anchored redevelopment on South Washburn after design compromises
Summary
After presentations and public questions about traffic and materials, the commission recommended approval of a planned-development rezoning, a five‑lot preliminary plat, a general development plan and a specific implementation plan amendment to allow a Woodman’s grocery, fuel center and car wash. Staff supported several BSM requests for parking, landscaping and materials; the SIP carried 7–1 after one commissioner objected to class‑4 material allowances.
The Plan Commission on May 5 recommended approval of a multi‑phase redevelopment of the Oshkosh outlet mall site along South Washburn Street that would create five commercial lots and accommodate a Woodman’s grocery store with associated fuel and car‑wash uses.
Staff described a preliminary plat that subdivides roughly 39 acres into four commercial lots and an outlot for stormwater management; Lot 1 is planned for a grocery store taking up approximately 20 acres, Lot 2 for a convenience store/fuel/car wash, Lots 3 and 4 as outlots for future commercial development and Lot 5 reserved for stormwater. Staff said sewer and water utilities are available and transportation submitted a traffic‑impact analysis supporting the proposed driveway configuration.
Woodman’s representatives Jim Arneson (applicant) and architect Phil Waitman presented revisions made since an earlier workshop: added masonry, increased glazing and adjusted access to limit customer use of a westernmost delivery entrance. Arneson said leases at the existing outlet mall are expiring through January 2027 and that some tenants will be bought out; he confirmed the applicant’s intent to grade and seed Lots 3–4 immediately and install trees later to avoid interfering with future drive locations.
The application included several BSM requests (code modifications) to accommodate the program: reduced parking on the grocery site (applicant requested a reduction from a cited code minimum to a lower number and discussed applying indoor storage parking rules that staff said would result in a 518‑space requirement), reduced foundation and entrance landscaping points on Lot 1, allowance for certain class‑4 precast panels on facades offset by added masonry and design articulation, and allowing the stormwater outlot to contribute landscaping points for Lot 1. Staff recommended approval of the GDP and SIP with conditions, finding that the project offsets requested deviations with increased planting size, additional masonry, and other compensating design elements.
Members of the public raised questions about truck traffic on adjacent streets, impacts to tourism and jobs at the outlet mall, and whether the applicant would be responsible for street repairs. Staff and commissioners responded that the city’s wheel tax and utility funding cover portions of road rehabilitation and that cross‑access and maintenance agreements will be required for the stormwater outlot.
Commissioners commended the compromise between applicant and staff. The zone change, preliminary plat and general development plan were recommended unanimously (8–0). The SIP amendment and associated BSMs passed 7–1 after Commissioner Pollack voted no, citing concern about allowing class‑4 precast materials at levels that could set precedent for future projects.
Next steps include final plat and site‑plan reviews, cross‑access agreements, and technical permitting before construction can begin.
