Walmart Holds Public Meeting On Proposed Store In Downtown Green Bay

Walmart hosted a public informational meeting on Monday night regarding plans for a big-box store in downtown Green Bay.

The 154,000 square-foot one-story store is planned for a plot now occupied by a vacant vegetable cannery near the shore of the Fox River – a space that some see as prime real estate. It’s also on Broadway, a street the city has worked for years to revitalize with small businesses and high end condominiums.

“There’s been over $150 million in community investment in our downtown just in the last three years,” said Nic Sparacio, Green Bay’s city planner. “We kind of feel like we’re at a crossroads … where how we respond to this request signals where we’re at, the direction we’re taking in downtown Green Bay.”

At the informational meeting, Walmart brought out members of a grassroots group called “B Local,” which Rhonda Sitnikau says was organized in response to the store’s proposal. She says a big box retailer goes against Green Bay’s “authenticity” plan.

“We are definitely very proud of the progress that’s been made in the last 12 to 15 years, and we want to continue to see that happen,” said Sitnikau. “We know with the city’s plan it will.”

Walmart also had supporters at the meeting, like city alderman Tony Theissen.

“If I owned a business on Broadway, I’d really like the idea,” said Theissen. “Anytime you can get more people shopping in your neighborhood, you’re going to get more people stopping by your place.”

A Green Bay city council advisory committee recommended approving Walmart’s plan. Mayor Jim Schmitt has gone on record opposing the store.