Meijers, Menards move forward at Wooster site
From the roundabout on Wooster’s north end, preliminary work is underway for the new Meijers and Menards stores.
After years of planning, utilities work for Meijers and Menards is starting at the northeast corner of the intersection of Smithville-Western Road and Burbank Road on the north end of Wooster.
This new construction officially extends the northern retail corridor in Wooster. Proponents of economic development cite several potential benefits for the community including an increased tax base that supports schools and the county. Wooster also would likely see a reduction in “leakage,” meaning Wayne County-based consumers would be less likely to travel to cities such as Massillon, Fairlawn and Mansfield and spend their money outside of the county.
Meijer is an American supercenter chain throughout the Midwest with its corporate headquarters in Walker, Michigan. Menards is an American home-improvement retail company headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
The logic is having more diversity in retail options can help retain the workforce while attracting new shoppers to Wooster.
“The population in Wooster is growing, so additional retail would need to follow to keep up with what we have,” said Jonathan Millea, development coordinator for the City of Wooster. “And (more retail) in turn could attract more people to shop in Wooster, and the further they travel, the more likely they are to spend more time here, buy a lunch that supports a local restaurant.”
Myah Taylor, project manager, and Jon Schwartz, vice president of development of Redstone Investments, worked on the development team that put the transaction together. The transactions fall under a local business, RS Wooster, which then serves as the developer on the project.
“The property was purchased by RS Wooster, Meijer and Menards separately,” Schwartz said, explaining his company’s role in the project. “RS Wooster is the developer and will be doing all of the site work including all of the road improvements and utilities — everything except the buildings. We were fortunate that both Meijers and Menards wanted to be there. It just created more interest for each of them that the other was interested. It created more traction.”
Schwartz’s team will start on the utility work immediately. Then the majority of the site work will be completed by Schwartz’s team starting in March. Their goal is to complete their portion of the job before the end of 2022.
Construction on the buildings could begin in early 2023. The new plaza will be named Belmont Crossing after an engineer, Mark Belmont, who was working on the property.
“We’re excited to bring Belmont Crossing to the community and help build the community. I think it’s going to be a real boost for the north end of the community, extending the retail corridor,” Schwartz said.
Millea went on to explain the role the city has in attracting new retail.
“We’re here to provide information to anyone who asks. We don’t pick and choose,” he said. “It’s up to the business entrepreneurs to choose what businesses will do well in the Wooster market. Typically, we’re approached by developers who are seeking information on our demographics to see if our market is capable of supporting their operations.”
Wooster plays a larger role in attracting new manufacturing through various economic incentives. Millea said additional investment in manufacturing, job growth and population growth can all serve as an incentive for new retail investment.
While the city does not benefit from sales tax, it would benefit from additional income taxes that could come from as many as 200-300 new retail jobs created from the project.
Potential negative impacts on existing retail in Wooster will largely depend on how much Wooster’s population continues to grow and how many consumers choose to travel to the area.
“We’re awaiting some later figures, but so far county sales tax revenues are up 14.9% over last year, which even with the pandemic were up 2.9% from the year before,” Millea said.
With a labor shortage currently impacting the economy, Wooster-based retailers may see increased competition for both consumers and employees. This could benefit both — consumers with lower prices and employees with higher wages.