Oxford Twp. Planning Commissioners made it clear they want a Kohl’s department store in this community, they just want one that looks like a little village instead of a big box.
‘We don’t want it to look like a big 100,000-square-foot building,? said Planning Commission Chairman Don Silvester. ‘It needs to carry on the village character like we have at Meijer.?
Oxford Meijer’s village facade ? which resembles a row of small shops lined up next to each other ? was the example planning commissioners kept using over and over again last week as they discussed with Kohl’s representatives what their proposed 97,423 square-foot store should look like.
‘We spent a lot of time and effort getting the different storefront (facade) that Meijer has,? Silvester said.
Kohl’s is to be an anchor store in the proposed Oxford North shopping center to be constructed on a 24.94-acre site on the east side of M-24, south of E. Market St. and just north of the village limits.
Based on the discussion, the planning commission seems to want Kohl’s to have a facade that utilizes false windows and false doors along with a roof-line that isn’t straight and flat, but features varied elevations.
?(Meijer has) got that false front that gives it some height and more of a house look, the village look,? said Commissioner Kallie Roesner. ‘You could be the village Kohl’s. You need an identity that makes you special here.?
Roesner suggested Kohl’s give its store ‘some character? by using one of downtown Oxford’s blocks as inspiration for a facade that shows a mix of attached one and two-story buildings.
Looking at drawings of the Kohl’s as proposed right now, Roesner said, ‘There’s just no character to that. It’s just Kohl’s.?
‘We would like people to come to Oxford and realize they’re in Oxford. We’re something unique,? said Commissioner Tom Lepping. ‘We don’t want them to not know if they’re in Clarkston or Rochester. They’re all the same.?
Lepping suggested Kohl’s ‘maybe tie in some Victorian detail and some Greek revival detail? with their design.
‘I know Kohl’s is probably expanding into more communities like Oxford and it maybe a little more palatable to see architecture that fits the village versus the big strip box malls that you see going up,? said Commissioner Jack Curtis.
‘Granted, there’s a lot of jobs involved? with a Kohl’s coming to town, but ‘it should fit Oxford,? Curtis noted.
Although Kohl’s representatives indicated they’re willing to work with the planning commission on the facade, they also said they don’t want Kohl’s to lose its identity.
‘My concern about using the same look as the Meijer is we’re going to look just like the Meijer,? said Brian Tobiczyk, Kohl’s corporate architect for this region. ‘We wouldn’t necessarily want to look just like the Meijer. We’d want to blend in a little bit more with the development and still look like Kohl’s . . . Brand is always important to any store.?
Tobiczyk explained that Kohl’s is ‘a smaller store than Meijer? so duplicating their look isn’t practical for them.
‘Additional amounts of articulation like Meijer has may feel a little over the top almost,? he explained. ‘We try and stay a little bit lower in height than other stores because we don’t want to be imposing?
Tobiczyk admitted ‘we do change the stores around? and ‘add things in there based on their location.? That’s why Kohl’s has made some modifications and ‘tried to use similar materials (such as brick facade)? to blend in with the proposed Oxford North development.
Despite some changes here and there, Kohl’s generally likes to use architectural detail that keep with the look of its stores.
Tobiczyk noted that Kohl’s plans to put a lot of vegetation on its site to make it more aesthetically pleasing. ‘We landscape a lot more heavily than a Meijer would do,? he said.
That didn’t seem to impress the commission. ‘Forget the plants. They can die and leave and get pulled out,? said Commissioner Tom Berger. ‘I really wanted to see something a little more architectural done to it.?
Berger was particularly concerned with the plainness of the proposed building’s south side because it faces people’s homes on Harriet and Lincoln streets. ‘It’s just a blob,? he said. ‘It’s just a box on the north and south.?
It was noted that the site’s south side will feature a 40-plus-foot buffer complete with lots of trees and a bike path.
Not satisfied with Tobiczyk’s statements, Commissioner Todd Bell asked flat out, ‘Are you willing to revamp what we’re looking at right now completely and give us a village look? Or is Kohl’s really stuck on this branding??
‘I wouldn’t say we’re stuck on it,? Tobiczyk replied. ‘It’s important to us. It’s a new store. It’s something that we’ve put a lot of time and effort into developing.?
Tobiczyk called the Kohl’s design presented to the planning commission ‘our new innovation store? and said they’ve been building them for a year-and-a-half.
The Kohl’s in White Lake is ‘very similar? in aesthetic to the one proposed in Oxford. However, given the proposed Oxford store is trying to blend in with the rest of the development around it, Tobiczyk called it ‘an upgraded version? of the White Lake store.
Roesner said the people in Oxford don’t want a typical Kohl’s store because this is the kind of town where ‘most of us walk around in barn boots.?
‘That’s the input I’m getting from my neighbors and the people that talk to me ? Yeah, we like Kohl’s, but I’m willing to go down the road because I really don’t like that look in my community,? she said.
Tobiczyk noted budget is a heavy factor in the facade equation.
‘The economics of this site are such that we have a limited budget work with,? he explained. ‘I’m trying to work within that budget to provide some articulation in places that we’re going to spend the money most wisely.?
‘I think you can spend the money to make it look like what we’re suggesting,? Bell said. ‘A lot of us have said that we want you here and we want to work with you, but you’ve got to understand what we want.?
‘I’ve got to work with the budget that I have and I can do what I can do,? Tobiczyk said. ‘I will try and respond in some fashion to what you’re saying. I don’t want to get anybody’s hopes up and tell you I’m going to give you a Meijer because I don’t think I’m going to be able to do that.?