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It's a Super Wal-Mart
Parrish: Indication is that there's a 'strong likelihood' it will be built

Crookston Daily Times
Written By: Mike Christopherson, Managing Editor

August 17, 2004 - After an almost three-hour meeting this morning, City Administrator Aaron Parrish confirmed that the Wal-Mart Corporation is pursuing the construction of a Super Wal-Mart on the property currently home to the Red River Valley Shows building.

"It's exciting news," Parrish said.

At City Hall this morning, a Minneapolis real estate firm, a civil engineer and an architect sat down with Parrish, Mayor Don Osborne, Public Works Director Pat Kelly, Building Officials Mike MacDonald, Crookston Development Authority Executive Director Kari Thompson and Water Department Superintendent Perry Hart.

The topic of conversation was a proposed 105,000 square foot Super Wal-Mart, which is a typical Wal-Mart store with an attached grocery store. Parrish said the city is expecting plans to be submitted for approval in September. They will first go to the Planning Commission, which makes recommendations to the City Council.

A purchase agreement has been signed with the Red River Valley Winter Shows Board of Directors, Parrish said.

Parrish added the indication at the meeting was that meetings like today's don't take place unless Wal-Mart has a significant interest in a development.

"The indication was that there's a strong likelihood of a store being built if we get to this point," Parrish explained. "This has been presented to Wal-Mart and they have provided some indication of comfort with the project."

There are many issues to be worked through, he added, the main ones having to do with MnDOT and traffic concerns around the property, and also annexation issues with adjacent property.

If all the issues are worked out and the city approves the plans, Parrish said demolition of the Shows building could begin in late spring or early summer 2005. The construction timeline would be approximately nine months, he added.

"It was a real positive meeting," Parrish said. "We think it would be a tremendous asset to the community that would give local people and others another shopping opportunity and increase the retail vitality of Crookston. We also think there's a strong potential for additional development above and beyond Wal-Mart that would be complementary to the project."

Wal-Mart is also pursuing the construction of a store in Thief River Falls, but Parrish said that neither project has any bearing on the other.

Asked about the city's reaction to concerns likely to be voiced by some current retailers and other businesses, Parrish said that retailers "can retool to be competitive and offer services and products that Wal-Mart doesn't offer." He added that it "all comes down to competition, and that is good in the retail industry."