Costco seeks Eau Claire City Council's approval
Oct. 23—EAU CLAIRE — Costco's plans to build one of its wholesale goods stores on Black Avenue are slated for a vote this week by the City Council.
A public hearing on the rezoning and general plans for the 160,500-square-foot store will be part of tonight's(Monday) meeting, followed by a vote by the council on Tuesday afternoon.
The store is planned for a mostly vacant 27-acre parcel south of a Kwik Trip, near the east end of the North Crossing. There is a tall tower used by cellphone companies on the property, which will remain.
In addition to the store, which sells a variety of goods at wholesale prices to people who buy a membership, there will also be a gas station available to members.
Costco's plans won a unanimous positive recommendation from the city's Plan Commission on Oct. 17, according to minutes from that meeting.
Costco intends to have construction of the store completed in either fall 2023 or spring 2024, according to a proposal submitted to the city.
The store chain already has 10 existing warehouse stores in Wisconsin, but this would be the first in the northwestern part of the state. Currently the nearest Costco to Eau Claire is about 70 miles away in Woodbury, Minn.
E-vehicle parking change
To encourage electric vehicle owners to move their cars after they're finished using a public charging station, the city is proposing a new parking fee.
As the city's ordinance on public vehicle charging stations was originally written, an electric vehicle could linger for up to eight hours by a charging station.
An amendment up for public discussion at tonight's(Monday) meeting and then a council vote on Tuesday would remove that lengthy time limit and establish fees for remaining at charging stations after they've been utilized.
The proposed amendment would give electric vehicle users a 15-minute grace period after their car finishes charging to move from the parking space by the station. After that, vehicle owners would be charged for every minute their car remains in that stall. For rapid charging stations, the overtime fee would be 50 cents per minute. Slower charging stations would have a 10 cents per minute overtime parking fee.
Stabbur structure
Local Norwegian history organization the Ager House Association intends to place a new structure next to its museum at 514 W. Madison St.
The group is seeking the city's approval on Tuesday to place a 10-foot-by-10-foot stabbur building next to the existing Waldemar Ager Museum.
Stabburs are wooden farmstead storage buildings that stand on stilts or pillars to keep food and other valuables away from rodents, according to Norwegian history and culture website Talk Norway.
