Progress on the west side

Tuesday, March 14, 2023 6:54 pm

The former Subway building on College Drive in Decorah was demolished Tuesday, March 14 making way for a new Kwik Star on the west side of town.

Much debate has lead up to any work beginning. In September 2022 the long-awaited decision for the zoning change request for a third Kwik Star came to an end, as Decorah City Council voted 5-2 in approval, with Steven Zittergruen and Steve Luse dissenting. During its regularly scheduled meeting, the council finalized a laundry list of concessions with Kwik Star engineer Dax Connelly regarding the convenience store to be built near College Drive and Quarry Road, which lead to the council vote.

The concessions were listed and agreed upon by all parties during the special hearing with Kwik Star Sept. 12, but due to time constraints, Kwik Star was not able to include them in the proposal put forth for approval at Monday’s meeting. Several members of council asked if the decision could be tabled to wait for a finalized updated proposal, but it was ultimately decided that a verbal agreement would suffice if all the provisions agreed upon were documented and recorded for reference.

As determined during the special hearing Sept. 12, the concessions are as follows:

  • Installing four bays of fuel pumps instead of five, resulting in 16 fueling stations instead of 20 stations.
  • Shrinking the canopy’s facia, since the company cannot lower the building’s height.
  • Working with Alliant Energy to install up to three Electric Vehicle chargers. Alliant had yet to confirm this partnership as of September 19.
  • Raising the crosswalks at all three entrance points, using a distinctive concrete stain to distinguish the crosswalks from the lot.
  • The installation of an eight-to-12 bicycle rack.
  • Discussions with Alliant Energy regarding the possibility of burying several light poles to clean up the line-of-sight areas.
  • No digital advertisement board, as zoning code prohibits such signs.
  • Kwik Star will work closely with Pizza Ranch and other neighbors to ensure all easement requirements are met.
  • More landscaping and trees will be included to ensure the site flows seamlessly with the environment.
  • Kwik Star will pay for a crosswalk that includes flashing beacons on both sides of College Drive.

Construction of the Kwik Star on the College Drive property is slated for 2024.