The prospect of a Menards home improvement store at 72nd and L streets is still very much in the mix for Ralston.
Ralston Mayor Don Groesser said he plans a trip to the company’s Eau Claire, Wis. headquarters in the next week to discuss the proposed new store just outside Ralston’s city limits, but well within the 600-yard radius of turnback tax opportunity on the city’s planned sports and entertainment complex.
“We’re still asking ourselves a lot of questions about whether we can still do this without Menards,” Groesser said. “But we’re hopeful we can have some good talks with them.”
The average Menards store does upwards of $40 million in annual sales, which would take a large measure out of the projected $54 million a year the city would need to finance its arena project.
The city can capture 70 percent of the sales tax at retail businesses within 600 yards of the sports facility and use that money to pay off the bonds on the project.
Groesser said Menards’ key concern centers on the proximity of its Bellevue and West Dodge stores from the proposed new site at 72nd and L streets.
Both the Bellevue store and the West Dodge location are more than eight miles from the 72nd and L streets site.
Groesser said the company is going to undertake a telephone survey of area consumers to gauge interest for the new store.
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