Growing grocery chain eyes O’Fallon location as neighbors voice concerns

The last undeveloped area at the intersection of North Green Mount Road and Pierce Boulevard may not be that way for long.

Meijer is seeking approval from O’Fallon to develop a 160,000 square foot retail and grocery store at the location and GBT Realty Corporation wants to place a mix of restaurants, retail and office space on five commercial lots there.

O’Fallon’s Community Development Director Justin Randall said the two rezoning applications were received Monday. At this time, no tenants have been named for the Shops at Pierce, he said.

“The development is proposed on 25 acres on the northeast quadrant of the Green Mount Road interchange on Interstate 64,” he said.

Based in Michigan, Meijer’s is constructing a retail supercenter in Glen Carbon and currently, the chain’s closest store is in Springfield. The company said it pioneered the supercenter concept in 1962.

This development had been rumored for a while, which has concerned nearby residents who already complain about the volume of traffic in their neighborhood. Pierce is a connector road, near the Interstate 64 interchange and not far from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital.

Randall said the Meijer and Shops at Pierce applications will be on the Planning Commission agenda on June 13. The meeting will start at 6 p.m.

About 60 residents attended a town hall meeting on April 27, sharing experiences with semi-trucks and commercial vehicles using Pierce, reckless drivers speeding and disregarding stop signs.

CBB Transportation Engineers + Planning representatives, the city’s traffic consultants, were on hand, focusing on the current traffic situation, presenting results of the traffic study, and discussing possible traffic calming solutions. They have been asking residents for input.

Lee Cannon, CBB traffic engineer, said the traffic study indicated that 45 to 50% of the traffic on Pierce is currently cut-through traffic from Lincoln to Green Mount.

CBB engineers will be back on May 18, at 6 p.m. at O’Fallon City Hall to discuss the results of the survey and provide analysis on potential options to address cut-through traffic on Pierce Boulevard and the impact of those options.

Residents can still fill out the survey from the meeting, as it is open through Sunday May 7. Comments can be made here: https://forms.office.com/r/ztu9N5bJmY

Representing Ward 6, where this area is located, Aldermen Jim Campbell and Tom Vorce have been talking with residents about development of the site.

“We’re going to work to find the best solution. I’m encouraged by the turnout, and I look forward to the next meeting. It’s good to get the ball rolling,” Vorce said. He has lived in the ward for 16 years.

“It’s helpful to elicit feedback from the people who live there, it’s their reality,” Campbell said. He has lived in the ward for 23 years.

Meijer’s features fresh produce and meat, apparel, pet supplies, toys, and electronics, as well as a garden center and pharmacy. On its website, it states that it gets produce from over 250 local farmers in the Midwest, and meat and seafood are delivered fresh six days a week.

The company describes itself as a “family-owned, Midwestern retailer” that started in 1934 during the Great Depression. Today, Meijer stores average between 150,000 and 250,000 square feet and stock more than 220,000 items.

Meijer employs about 70,000 people and operates more than 240 supercenters in six states: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Michigan, according to its website. It has been expanding, and a year ago announced four new stores in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana.

Randall’s Community Development Department will follow through with their own study, analyzing the applications to see if it meets the city’s requirements and fits the master plan. They then will make a recommendation to the Planning Commission.

If they approve it, the request will advance to the council’s Community Development Committee, which will decide whether to place it on the council’s agenda. If the council acts on a first reading of an ordinance, it returns to the Community Development Committee before it is up for final approval.

There will be five public meetings where residents will have an opportunity to express their opinions.

Residents who attended the April 27 meeting were notified May 3 about the two new applications, for the city could not talk about it then without any paperwork or plans.

This story was originally published May 4, 2023 at 7:00 AM.