Hello and goodbye: mixed reactions to McDonald’s

By Julie Rossman

Correspondent

Plans for a Union Grove McDonald’s are on a fast track, following recent approval from the Union Grove Village Board and the Community Development Authority to allow McDonald’s to build a stand-alone restaurant at 835 15th Avenue (Highway 11).

Village President Mike Aimone said McDonald’s hopes to begin work by early June and has agreed to let the Union Grove-Yorkville Fire Department and Racine County Sheriff’s Department use the building for training purposes before it is demolished.

“They are pushing to open by Racine County Fair,” Aimone added.  The fair runs July 24-28.

McDonald’s first approached the village in January 2011 but, according to Aimone, the corporation had no expansion plans for Union Grove at that time.

Then they returned in January 2012 to talk about different options for a McDonald’s in Union Grove.  “In August of 2012, we started serious discussions,” Aimone said.

Aimone said after researching the area, McDonald’s wanted to be located at highways 45 and 11.  And, as it turns out, the historic Storms Hall had been for sale for the last 10 years or so at that site.

Aimone said community reaction has been mainly favorable. After listening to questions and concerns at a public hearing, Aimone felt the consensus is that residents welcome the new business, but are not so comfortable with the location.

“They were concerned about traffic, safety, home values,” Aimone said.

He explained that the parcel of land on which the historic Storms Hall is located has been zoned for commercial use since the 1990s.

“The zoning was only changed from C1 to C2, to allow for a drive-thru,” he added.

Down with the old

Storms Hall holds a special place in the history of Union Grove.  The building opened in 1922 and served as a dormitory for the Racine-Kenosha County Teachers College, also known as the Normal School, which was housed in the building directly to the west, now the Union Grove Municipal Building.

Enola Hay grew up and still lives just south of Union Grove, in the township of Paris.  She began elementary school at the teachers college in 1939.

There, teachers in training observed first- through  eighth-grade classes for a while, then completed practice teaching under the supervision of a teacher, she recalled.

Hay’s four children also attended elementary school there – two graduated and two were still attending when the school closed in 1976, sending them to the Union Grove Elementary School.

Hay has a lot of fond memories of the school and is sorry to see Storms Hall go.  “I wish it could have been put to some kind of use,” she said.

Hay loves that McDonald’s wants to be in Union Grove, but she doesn’t like the location for two reasons.  “It is a historic building and it is bad, traffic-wise,” Hay said.

Aimone said that developers who initially showed an interest ended up walking away due to the building’s poor condition during the 10 years it was on the market.  The building is currently a private residence and, before that, an antique store.

 Up with the new

Overall, Aimone believes McDonald’s will be good for the town.  “There will be a minimum of 40 job opportunities, including management positions,” he said.

Aimone said McDonald’s predicts a 17 percent increase in traffic through Union Grove.    McDonald’s says about 70 percent of its business will be drive-thru traffic, which will enter and exit via Highway 11.

“It’s another place for people to gather,” he added.

In addition, Aimone said the restaurant is open to working with culinary students at Shepherds College in Union Grove.

“It will be good for the community,” Aimone said.

After hearing from concerned residents at the recent hearing, McDonald’s changed some plans, eliminating seven parking spaces to allow for increased landscaping in both the front and back of the restaurant.

In addition, Aimone said McDonald’s will pay to have four large trees removed and transferred to either the Ryan Moe/Michael Young Memorial Park or School Yard Park.