Carpentersville takes peek at Walmart site plan

Carpentersville trustees got a glimpse at a preliminary concept plan that details Wal-Mart’s plans for a super center in the village.

The 180,000-square-foot store, scheduled for a 2015 grand opening, is slated to go on 26.3 acres on the south side of Lake Marian Road between Besinger Drive and Route 25, just north of the Meadowdale Shopping Center.

The plan outlines creating a new street to connect Route 25 and Ball Avenue on the east, to the intersection of Besinger and Maple Avenue on the west. The goal of that street would be to ease traffic congestion.

The existing access drive west of Walgreens on Lake Marian Road would remain the same, but there might be a second full access drive off Lake Marian Road that leads directly to Walmart. The exact location will be determined at the conclusion of a traffic study.

At the meeting last week, trustees had an opportunity to give feedback on the plan.

“No votes are taken, it’s just a chance for the trustees and the president to make comments,” Village President Ed Ritter said. “Other than a couple of technical questions, there was very little comment, other than ‘Welcome to Carpentersville.’”

Since the new Walmart would be across the street from the Meadowdale Apartments, Trustee Brad McFeggan would like to see a walking path that links the apartments to the store. The village is investigating whether that would be up to the village or Wal-Mart.

“I’d be a nice accommodation, but I don’t think it’s going to be something that’s going to come out right as the building opens,” McFeggan said.

Wal-Mart has plans to close its 21-year-old store in East Dundee to open the larger one in Carpentersville on property that’s owned by the Besinger family.

Wal-Mart’s super center will offer a full line of groceries, as well as a bakery, delicatessen, a frozen food section, and meat, dairy and fresh produce sections. General merchandise areas will include a pharmacy, apparel and accessories, sporting goods, electronics, home, lawn and garden center, jewelry and health and beauty, said Daniel Morales, a Wal-Mart spokesman.

The new store will also feature energy-efficient technology and environmentally friendly features to reduce energy and water consumption and minimize waste.