Council Member Steve Detrick Addresses Concerns Over New Elk Grove Wal Mart

Ed. Note: The following was submitted by Elk Grove City Council Member Steve Detrick.


By Steve Detrick


To clarify some of the issues surrounding the proposed Wal Mart on Bruceville Rd. and Whitelock Pkwy., I have researched what the City Council and Planning commission have already done regarding this project. Both entities have previously approved a 150,000 square foot Target. According to the City Attorney and the Planning Director, all the entitlements have been given to this project.

If the proposed Wal Mart meets or exceeds all of the entitled conditions and approvals, the only item left is the issuance of the building permit. Accordingly, neither the City Council nor the Planning Commission will review this.

Since this project has already been approved for entitlements by the previous council and planning commission, there will not be any further action by the council unless there is a substantial difference in compliance discovered.

The proposed Wal Mart is 30% smaller (50,000 sq. ft.) than the previously approved Target.

One of the main concerns regarding this project is the proposed hours of operation. To this end, I am urging Wal Mart in the name of responsible corporate citizenship to reduce their hours of operation as they already have a 24/7 at Elk Grove Blvd & Hwy 99

To alleviate future problems like this, I will sponsor a proposal for an amendment to the Zoning Code for core hours of operation requiring a Conditional Use Permit for proposals outside the core hours on future projects. Additionally, I have been working with Wal Mart and city staff to agree to restrict RV camping.

If there are more questions or concerns, I look forward to hearing them so that I can have them researched and included in the city's findings. I can be reached at sdetrick@elkgrovecity.org or (916)683-7111.