Meijer Asked To Present Road-Improvements Plan
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jennifer [email protected]
During Wednesday's Warsaw Traffic Safety Commission meeting at the Warsaw Police Department Training Center, the commission unanimously approved a traffic impact study.
The approval of the study is one step closer to allowing Meijer to purchase a 40-acre tract of land at the intersection of CR 200N and U.S. 30 in Warsaw.
The study was approved contingent on Meijer providing the city with a proposal for improvements to CR 200N that were not included in the study. Meijer officials will return to present road improvements at a meeting on March 11.
Lynn Richardson, Meijer real estate manager, Grand Rapids, Mich., attended Wednesday's meeting and said the business wants to work with the city to make sure customers can get in and out of the store safely and easily.
"If we're not a convenient location we're not achieving our objective, and I think we will have to discuss how we will go about adding improvements and plan on talking to you about the improvements," Richardson said.
City Planner Jeremy Skinner said the property would need to be rezoned. Warsaw Plan Commission would need to approve the rezoning and development plan and make a recommendation to Warsaw City Council.
Skinner said he had concerns with the alternate two study that was approved because he didn't agree that most of the traffic to Meijer would come from U.S. 30 as stated in the alternate two study.
Skinner said traffic from the northern part of the county will use CR 200N to access the new store and will not use U.S. 30 via Ind. 15.
The alternate one plan suggests that CR 200 have two exclusive left-turn lanes southbound onto Ind. 15, and a third turn lane for through and right-turn lane traffic.
Michael Diamente, office director for Abonmarche Engineering, and Timothy Drews, vice president of engineering for Abonmarche Engineering, presented the traffic impact study to the commission.
The study that was presented was prepared by Engineering Resources Inc., Fort Wayne, in 2009 for the proposed Meijer, and has been approved by Indiana Department of Transportation. Meijer supported the alternate two traffic impact option in the study.
Diamente presented the traffic impact study alternate two, which would require a new traffic light to be installed on U.S. 30.
The proposal also includes an entrance to the Meijer off of CR 200N and another off of U.S. 30.
Meijer would be required to lengthen the westbound left-turn lane on U.S. 30 at CR 200N, constructing a right-turn only entrance to the development from CR 200N, and restripe the existing county road on the westbound approach to create a left-turn lane and a shared right-through lane.
Meijer attempted to build a store in Warsaw in 2000 on Husky Trail near Patterson Road in Warsaw.
In June 2000, Warsaw City Council denied a rezoning request for Meijer made by attorney Steve Snyder. The Warsaw Plan Commission also unanimously recommended to deny the request.
Traffic commission members Kip Shuter made the motion Wednesday to approve the traffic impact study, and Skinner seconded the motion.
Commission members Kyle Babcock, George Clemens, Jerry Patterson and Greg Schroeder voted in favor of the study.
Commission member Steve Foster was absent, and commission member Dan Robinson abstained from the vote due to the fact that his mother lives at a property that will be affected by the proposed Meijer development.
In other business, during the meeting the commission approved Shuter to serve again as traffic administrator, and Foster to serve as secretary.[[In-content Ad]]
During Wednesday's Warsaw Traffic Safety Commission meeting at the Warsaw Police Department Training Center, the commission unanimously approved a traffic impact study.
The approval of the study is one step closer to allowing Meijer to purchase a 40-acre tract of land at the intersection of CR 200N and U.S. 30 in Warsaw.
The study was approved contingent on Meijer providing the city with a proposal for improvements to CR 200N that were not included in the study. Meijer officials will return to present road improvements at a meeting on March 11.
Lynn Richardson, Meijer real estate manager, Grand Rapids, Mich., attended Wednesday's meeting and said the business wants to work with the city to make sure customers can get in and out of the store safely and easily.
"If we're not a convenient location we're not achieving our objective, and I think we will have to discuss how we will go about adding improvements and plan on talking to you about the improvements," Richardson said.
City Planner Jeremy Skinner said the property would need to be rezoned. Warsaw Plan Commission would need to approve the rezoning and development plan and make a recommendation to Warsaw City Council.
Skinner said he had concerns with the alternate two study that was approved because he didn't agree that most of the traffic to Meijer would come from U.S. 30 as stated in the alternate two study.
Skinner said traffic from the northern part of the county will use CR 200N to access the new store and will not use U.S. 30 via Ind. 15.
The alternate one plan suggests that CR 200 have two exclusive left-turn lanes southbound onto Ind. 15, and a third turn lane for through and right-turn lane traffic.
Michael Diamente, office director for Abonmarche Engineering, and Timothy Drews, vice president of engineering for Abonmarche Engineering, presented the traffic impact study to the commission.
The study that was presented was prepared by Engineering Resources Inc., Fort Wayne, in 2009 for the proposed Meijer, and has been approved by Indiana Department of Transportation. Meijer supported the alternate two traffic impact option in the study.
Diamente presented the traffic impact study alternate two, which would require a new traffic light to be installed on U.S. 30.
The proposal also includes an entrance to the Meijer off of CR 200N and another off of U.S. 30.
Meijer would be required to lengthen the westbound left-turn lane on U.S. 30 at CR 200N, constructing a right-turn only entrance to the development from CR 200N, and restripe the existing county road on the westbound approach to create a left-turn lane and a shared right-through lane.
Meijer attempted to build a store in Warsaw in 2000 on Husky Trail near Patterson Road in Warsaw.
In June 2000, Warsaw City Council denied a rezoning request for Meijer made by attorney Steve Snyder. The Warsaw Plan Commission also unanimously recommended to deny the request.
Traffic commission members Kip Shuter made the motion Wednesday to approve the traffic impact study, and Skinner seconded the motion.
Commission members Kyle Babcock, George Clemens, Jerry Patterson and Greg Schroeder voted in favor of the study.
Commission member Steve Foster was absent, and commission member Dan Robinson abstained from the vote due to the fact that his mother lives at a property that will be affected by the proposed Meijer development.
In other business, during the meeting the commission approved Shuter to serve again as traffic administrator, and Foster to serve as secretary.[[In-content Ad]]
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