The council backed down and the expansion project is officially off the table. Keep a close eye on the upcoming city budget to ensure these funds remain protected for our downtown growth.
May 31, 2014
Final supporters
Dear Stoughton Alderpersons & Mayor Olson:
As citizens, merchants and retail or apartment building owners, we are NOT in favor of the Stoughton City Council granting further approvals of the Kettle Park West (KPW) project to construct a new mall in a cornfield west of the city. (The project would include a 153,000 sq. ft. WalMart SuperCenter and another 87,000 sq. ft. of other new stores.)
Our community should focus on redeveloping our Downtown and present retail businesses.
We call upon alders:
1. To pass a MORATORIUM ON ALL FURTHER KPW APPROVALS at the 3-25-14 council meeting.
2. To conduct an Economic and Fiscal Impact Study of the proposed SuperCenter and mall BEFORE proceeding any further with the KPW project and discuss the findings of the study with the community. We need to know what the impact will be on our present business BEFORE we create a new mall.
3. To create a city policy for Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) Districts in "undeveloped" areas. The city already has a good policy for "redevelopment/downtown" areas but not for "undeveloped" areas. For the city to plan to borrow $4.6 million and then give $5.1 million of taxpayer money to a developer and WalMart (one of the richest companies in the world) without a city policy setting rigorous standards is poor management. Our city should NOT be giving millions of dollars in subsides - harming hundreds of present retailers in Stoughton, Oregon, Evansville, Edgerton, and McFarland.
Updates
March 23, 2014
The response from our neighbors confirms that we refuse to let our downtown lose its value to a massive corporate project. Email your alderperson today to demand an impartial impact study before any more city money goes toward this mall.
March 23, 2014
This wave of support proves that our neighbors want growth in our downtown rather than a supercenter in our cornfields. Post this link on your Facebook wall today to keep the pressure on our local leaders. Call your Alderperson right now and demand they authorize an impact study before moving another inch.
Reached 100 supporters
March 23, 2014
55 Comments
There's a high road and low road approach to this. The current path (secretive, rushed, cart B4 horse, not listening) is the low road and not necessary. Let's decelerate, switch to the high road, a moratorium and more community input.
Tif money could be better spent by creating a river walk with green space that could be a focal point for downtown redevelopment. By creating a downtown where people actually want to live commerce will follow.
As a former member of the Stoughton City Council, I am strongly in favor of this petition calling for a moratorium on the KPW Super Center project. We should continue to redevelop our Downtown.
Please think outside of the box and stop this development. We can attract young professionals to Stoughton by growing smarter than a Big Box store that will be empty in a few years when online buying becomes the norm. Don't be bought out by the big corporation, do what is right for Stoughton.
I believe that if the Kettle Park West project moves forward it will destroy the heart of Stoughton. Local businesses that are already struggling will not stand a chance. There are 2 SuperCenters close enough for my taste so I urge you to oppose any further approvals to the Kettle Park West project.
Nothing progressive happens after WalMart moves in BECAUSE WalMart moved in. They do very little for the local community. The bottom line with WalMart is they keep poor people poor: 1) if a person is a WalMart employee, or 2) if a person is a WalMart shopper. #2 happens because of how they price merchandise (low prices on items that "hook" a shopper and items that are supposedly reasonably priced but are so inferior in quality that those items need to be replaced long before they should be ). WalMart is a scour in a small community. They are the same thing in a larger community.
Invest in the downtown......I moved here because of the claim of an Arts District. I see less support for the Arts and small businesses than when I moved here 7 years ago. I have friends moving back to Madison because they are tired of the small town parochial politics. Bummer.
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The council backed down and the expansion project is officially off the table. Keep a close eye on the upcoming city budget to ensure these funds remain protected for our downtown growth.
May 31, 2014
Final supporters
Dear Stoughton Alderpersons & Mayor Olson:
As citizens, merchants and retail or apartment building owners, we are NOT in favor of the Stoughton City Council granting further approvals of the Kettle Park West (KPW) project to construct a new mall in a cornfield west of the city. (The project would include a 153,000 sq. ft. WalMart SuperCenter and another 87,000 sq. ft. of other new stores.)
Our community should focus on redeveloping our Downtown and present retail businesses.
We call upon alders:
1. To pass a MORATORIUM ON ALL FURTHER KPW APPROVALS at the 3-25-14 council meeting.
2. To conduct an Economic and Fiscal Impact Study of the proposed SuperCenter and mall BEFORE proceeding any further with the KPW project and discuss the findings of the study with the community. We need to know what the impact will be on our present business BEFORE we create a new mall.
3. To create a city policy for Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) Districts in "undeveloped" areas. The city already has a good policy for "redevelopment/downtown" areas but not for "undeveloped" areas. For the city to plan to borrow $4.6 million and then give $5.1 million of taxpayer money to a developer and WalMart (one of the richest companies in the world) without a city policy setting rigorous standards is poor management. Our city should NOT be giving millions of dollars in subsides - harming hundreds of present retailers in Stoughton, Oregon, Evansville, Edgerton, and McFarland.
Updates
March 23, 2014
The response from our neighbors confirms that we refuse to let our downtown lose its value to a massive corporate project. Email your alderperson today to demand an impartial impact study before any more city money goes toward this mall.
March 23, 2014
This wave of support proves that our neighbors want growth in our downtown rather than a supercenter in our cornfields. Post this link on your Facebook wall today to keep the pressure on our local leaders. Call your Alderperson right now and demand they authorize an impact study before moving another inch.
Reached 100 supporters
March 23, 2014
55 Comments
The strongest economy is a diverse economy. We need policies that promote many small businesses, not policies that give more tax breaks to a billion dollar company that squelches competition and takes profits away from our town and state.
There's a high road and low road approach to this. The current path (secretive, rushed, cart B4 horse, not listening) is the low road and not necessary. Let's decelerate, switch to the high road, a moratorium and more community input.
Tif money could be better spent by creating a river walk with green space that could be a focal point for downtown redevelopment. By creating a downtown where people actually want to live commerce will follow.
As a former member of the Stoughton City Council, I am strongly in favor of this petition calling for a moratorium on the KPW Super Center project. We should continue to redevelop our Downtown.
Please think outside of the box and stop this development. We can attract young professionals to Stoughton by growing smarter than a Big Box store that will be empty in a few years when online buying becomes the norm. Don't be bought out by the big corporation, do what is right for Stoughton.
I believe that if the Kettle Park West project moves forward it will destroy the heart of Stoughton. Local businesses that are already struggling will not stand a chance. There are 2 SuperCenters close enough for my taste so I urge you to oppose any further approvals to the Kettle Park West project.
Nothing progressive happens after WalMart moves in BECAUSE WalMart moved in. They do very little for the local community. The bottom line with WalMart is they keep poor people poor: 1) if a person is a WalMart employee, or 2) if a person is a WalMart shopper. #2 happens because of how they price merchandise (low prices on items that "hook" a shopper and items that are supposedly reasonably priced but are so inferior in quality that those items need to be replaced long before they should be ). WalMart is a scour in a small community. They are the same thing in a larger community.
Invest in the downtown......I moved here because of the claim of an Arts District. I see less support for the Arts and small businesses than when I moved here 7 years ago. I have friends moving back to Madison because they are tired of the small town parochial politics. Bummer.
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The strongest economy is a diverse economy. We need policies that promote many small businesses, not policies that give more tax breaks to a billion dollar company that squelches competition and takes profits away from our town and state.