MINOCQUA – Plans are underway to bring a Tractor Supply Company (TSC) store to Minocqua.
The Minocqua Town Board on Tuesday agreed to forward its recommendation to the county to issue a conditional use permit (CUP) for the project. The Minocqua store will be located on the west side of Northridge Way on the north side of Plaza Drive near Wal-Mart.
The one-story building will be located on a 5.72-acre parcel. According to the company’s website, the retail chain is the “largest operator of rural lifestyle retail stores in America.” TSC owns and operates more than 1,760 stores in 49 states. Its inventory includes tools and hardware, pet care and feed products, clothing and apparel, and riding mowers. Despite its name, it does not sell tractors.
A typical TSC store has 15,500 square feet of selling space inside with a similar amount of outdoor display space. The Minocqua store will have 19,000 square feet of indoor space. The TSC store in Eagle River is slightly larger at 22,000 square feet. “I hope they are not building it too small,” commented Supervisor Sue Heil. She said Minocqua brings in shoppers and visitors from a wide area.
The town board is asking the county to attach conditions to the CUP, including no outside storage containers and the erection of a privacy fence on the west side. Supervisor Bill Stengl, who sits on the town’s planning commission that reviewed the permit, said the application was “very thorough.” Supervisor John Thompson wondered if there was a way the applicant could accommodate the Cross Country Cruisers’ snowmobile trail that cuts across one area of the property.
Guy Polacek, a representative of TSC, said the company faces a liability risk if an accident would occur on its property. They don’t plan to allow the snowmobile trail to continue there. The snowmobile trail crosses other nearby vacant parcels that are also up for sale, it was noted. With the town’s unanimous recommendation, the CUP application goes to the county planning and development committee for review.
