Menards wants to open store in Olathe, but city has doubts
Do-it-yourselfers will have to wait to see if a new Menards store pans out in Olathe.
A new location of the home improvements store is proposed for 135th Street and Greenwood Street, but the city council wants several issues addressed before making a final decision.
The project is currently designed to have a main retail building, with a lumberyard and a warehouse in the back.
At their meeting Tuesday evening, many council members expressed concern about what they considered to be inappropriate design details, an increase in traffic for 138th Street, potential noise, the location of the warehouse, and whether the vacant land, which sits next to a residential neighborhood, is even an appropriate spot for the giant retail store.
The city planning commission has recommended denial of the project to the council, because of issues with the proposed building design and the fact that outdoor storage aspect was close to a residential neighborhood.
Several residents who live near the site voiced concerns at the meeting. For the past few weeks, they have been voicing their frustrations about the project to council members.
“The retail part of Menards, I’m fine with,” Cindy Nelson, who lives behind the site, told the council. “I’ve been to the Menards in St. Joseph, so I know they keep their stores nice and clean. It’s the outdoor part which bothers me.”
She said she is also worried about the beeping of delivery trucks at night.
Another resident, Bill O’Connor, who lives near the site, told the council he is extremely worried about the increase in traffic the store will bring to his neighborhood.
Tyler Edwards, a representative for Menards, told the council that noise for residents wouldn’t be a problem.
The warehouse, along with a pond, a berm, a 14-foot-tall wall, and additional landscaping, were meant to soften the separation between the residential and commercial areas, he said.
He added that the Menards lumberyard is an outdoor sales floor to store large-scale and bulk building products. Unlike a traditional lumberyard, it would not feature any construction, sawing, hammering or any other loud noise.
Edwards also emphasized the economic benefits of bringing Menards to Olathe.
Each store brings in around $30 million or more in sales each year, which would generate $2.5 million in sales taxes. Plus, it creates 200 new full-time and part-time jobs to the area.
The Olathe location would be the only one in Johnson County.
Since 135th Street has become a major thoroughfare for regional traffic, the company thinks it chose a good spot for the new store.
The road to approval has been a long and tenuous one for Menards.
After a few planning commission meetings, and speaking with neighbors, the company had made numerous revisions to its design already.
A city official told the council that staff will keep working with Menards to address all its issues. A revised plan will come before the council at a later date.
“You’re just about there, but not quite,” Mayor Michael Copeland told Edwards. “I think bringing Menards to Olathe would be a tremendous opportunity for the city, but we want the best product, so there needs to be appropriate changes. I think you’re making good progress though.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2015 at 7:09 AM with the headline "Menards wants to open store in Olathe, but city has doubts."