A New Batavia Walgreens: the Benefits, the Concerns, the Upcoming Votes

Will Batavia get a new downtown Walgreens?

The answer is coming but the details are complicated.

For the past two years has worked with Batavia city officials on a proposal for a new downtown Walgreens. The store would be built on the former Prairie Path Cycles and Swanson’s Hardware site at 122 W. Wilson St.

The would include a 14,490 sq. ft. store, a drive-through and parking in front of the store's main entrance facing Wilson Street.

But Batavia Enterprises needs the city to make several exceptions to get the Walgreens built as proposed.

The first group to make a recommendation on the exceptions is the Zoning Board of Appeals and Plan Commission. This group is scheduled to address one of 11 variance requests for the Walgreens plan during a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at , 100 N. Island Ave.

On Friday, city staff posted a memo saying they could not recommend approval to the Zoning Board of a front setback variance for the Walgreens plan. A large setback is needed to include the front parking.

“Staff is obviously supportive of keeping a Walgreen’s store in downtown, and understands Walgreen’s desired store criteria,” said Jerry Swanson, the city’s community development director, in the memo. “But it is difficult to fit into this infill property, as evidenced by the need to file for eleven variances from the standards in the City Zoning Code.”

The benefit of Walgreens business and residents' support of the project are some of the reasons why the city should consider the variances, said Austin Dempsey, Batavia Enterprises vice president.

"I hope that the (Zoning Board) feels what we're presenting is something we can be very proud of as a community, that it's an enhancement to Batavia," Dempsey told Batavia Patch on Saturday.

Dempsey, an architect and city staff have worked on numerous versions of Walgreens site plan. The parties involved are stuck between maintaining a business for the downtown area and going against the City’s Comprehensive Plan, which includes elements of the 2002 Downtown Master Plan.

Business owner Jeanne Harms is one of many residents who wonders what city officials will finally decide.

“Even if it meets (only) some of the conditions of the Master Plan, are they going to make some exceptions, or are they going to lose this opportunity?” she said.

The Benefits

In advance of the Wednesday Zoning Board and committee votes, Batavia Enterprises has spoken inside and out of City Hall about what a new Walgreens has to offer residents.

The last of three information sessions on the Walgreens plan was held on Monday, Feb. 20 at Batavia Enterprises, 140 First St. All residents were invited to the sessions, also held on Feb. 15 and 18.

The Batavia Enterprises information sessions were held independent of the city meetings. Batavia Enterprises answered any questions visitors had about the plan.

Batavia Enterprises is aware of the city staff’s concerns about the project. During Saturday’s information session they discussed some of the city process, but focused mostly on details of the plan.

The proposed Batavia Walgreens plan includes:

• A concept for a "high-end" Walgreens that would include fresh food, liquor sales and a drive-through for prescriptions
• Use of stone and high glass windows
• An entry tower similar to those of existing downtown buildings
• A remodel of the Batavia Plaza Wilson Street entrance that includes an option to legally turn onto eastbound Wilson Street from Batavia Plaza
  
• An obscured loading dock for delivery trucks on the store's east side
• Only three access points for Batavia Plaza instead of the current eight
• A pocket park along with a water feature along Wilson Street

"We’re getting a far superior location and a far superior design than a standard suburban Walgreens," Dempsey said at the Saturday info session.

Joan Kline was one of about 14 residents to attend the session. She is in favor of the new Walgreens because she has limited shopping options where she lives on the city's east side.

"We've got to have this," Kline said of the store.

Austin and Gerry Dempsey both spoke about the potential for future business growth in downtown Batavia if Walgreens stays. Austin Dempsey said some businesses have expressed interest in moving into at 138 W. Wilson St. should it become free.

But the future potential for Batavia Plaza will change for the worse should Walgreens decide to leave downtown.

"I truly feel that Batavia needs Walgreens more than Walgreens needs Batavia," said Gerry Dempsey, Batavia Enterprises chairman and CEO.

The Concerns

Like Batavia Enterprises, Batavia city officials also have a vested interest in seeing downtown grow. But they base their decisions on adopted policies from the City Council, and the current Walgreens plan goes against part of the future envisioned for downtown.

The primary concern is the variance request for the Walgreens to be set back from Wilson Street. The current plan calls for the store to be set back more than 77 feet, contrary to the requirement that buildings in that district be built no further than 10 feet from the property line.

Batavia Enterprises said Walgreens insists on the front parking and is not willing to make exceptions at this time.

"It appears that all the accommodation is occurring on the City’s side of the ledger," the city's Feb. 17 memo said. "Because as of this writing staff has not had any direct communications with Walgreen’s, we cannot speak to the question of whether or not Walgreen’s would be willing to modify any of their development requirements. The project architect and Batavia Enterprises have stated that they would not be flexible in their requirements, especially as they relate to parking by the entrance."

Near the conclusion of the memo, Swanson writes:

"We have tried to find a way to make this project conform, or come close to conforming, to those adopted documents, but have not been successful," the memo said. "Even compromising the setback standard and mitigating the impacts by various design solutions was not acceptable to the applicant. Therefore, our recommendation must be to deny the front setback variance for Walgreen’s."

Important Votes

Regardless of what the city staff or Zoning Board recommend, all 14 aldermen on the Batavia City Council will have a chance to cast their own votes on the plan.

"Ultimately the power lies with the City Council," Dempsey said.

The Zoning Board/Plan Commission and Community Development Committee will first weigh in on the variances. City staff wants the Zoning Board to address the setback variance first, and then follow through with the other variances next month.

The Zoning Board's public hearing on the first variance will begin at 7:30 p.m. this Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Residents can review the proposed plans in person at Batavia City Hall or seek information from Batavia Enterprises, 140 First St.

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To read the City’s latest recommendation on the project for yourself, click here. (Note: this is a link to a PDF file).