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Plan says county is retail center

By GENE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
Portage County has a surplus of retail sales, according to the Economic Development Component of the Portage County Comprehensive Plan compiled for the Smart Growth plan.

The Economic Development Component report, in an overview of county retail trends, says the surplus in sales "may indicate that Portage County is pulling customers from surrounding counties or has a large tourism base."

However, retail trade has also become the county's second highest employment sector, and the low annual wages in retail are less than half the average annual wage in the county.

The observation of the county as a regional retail center is based on the county's taxable sales compared to the potential sales during the year 2001. The potential sales, based on population, would indicate sales of $443 million, while the taxable sales amounted to $502 million, a surplus of about $59 million.

Since that data was compiled, the county has proposed development of Crossroads Common, a retail shopping area at the intersection of Interstate 39 and County Trunk HH. Last month the county withdrew from the development, leaving it to the village of Plover and Told Development to complete.

The component says sub-categories show only three areas with retail leakage: general merchandise stores, apparel and accessory stores, and furniture, home furnishings and equipment stores.

The general merchandise store leakage was small, $368,007, and the report linked the leakage to concentration of general merchandise stores in neighboring counties.

Apparel and accessory stores had the most sizeable leakage, $9,403,566, but the report attributed that partly to "declines in the industry."

The report said the "most surprising leakage is in furniture, home furnishings and equipment stores" and amounted to $1,175,657," adding "This gap might point to limited expansion or recruitment opportunities."

Since 2001, some stores in the last category have opened in the county.

While the county has the surplus in sales, a section on "Future Commercial Development Location" identifies four major shopping areas in the county: downtown Stevens Point, the Highway 10 East commercial area in Stevens Point, the County Trunk B retail district in Plover and the proposed Crossroads Common.

That section says all four are within 15 minutes driving time of more than 71 percent of the county's population. An estimated 29.6 percent of the county's population is within a 15-minute walk of the downtown Stevens Point. Less than 4 percent of the population is within 15 minutes walking time of the other three areas.

The report cites some potential retail development conflicts, noting that the county has the opportunity to maintain or expand the regional commercial position. "However, Portage County is surrounded by a number of commercial centers. The proximity of Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, Appleton and Portage allows these areas to compete for customers within reasonable driving distances."

Wausau is a half-hour drive from Stevens Point, improvements on Highway 54 have made Wisconsin Rapids seem closer, a four-lane Highway 10 that opened in December makes Appleton an hour trip and Portage is also about an hour away on I-39.

The report says new commercial growth can either fill an existing gap or re-allocate existing demand. "The potential impact could be an increased vacancy rate in other retail nodes, resulting in a swap of space rather than an expansion," the report says. "Accordingly, the need for new commercial development should be considered with regards to the proposed business mix of the new development and its potential to impact specific retail categories in the community or region."

The impact of the county as a regional retail center has some financial ramifications because the retail sector has the lowest-paying jobs.

The component reports that retail trade is the second highest employer in the county behind services, yet it is the fifth highest in earnings, with an average annual wage of $13,243. That annual wage is the lowest in the county by more than $10,000 among the various categories and less than half the county average wage of $26,734 in 2000.

"While retail employment has increased significantly between 1969 and 2000, the retail trade sector now contributes a smaller amount to total earnings than it did in 1969," the report said. "Retail employment in Portage County continues to grow at a faster pace than the state or nation."



	Plan says county is retail center By GENE KEMMETER of The Gazette Portage County has a surplus of retail sales, according to the Economic Development Component of the Portage County Comprehensive Plan compiled for the Smart Growth plan. The Economic Development Component report, in an overview of county retail trends, says the surplus in sales "may indicate that Portage County is pulling customers from surrounding counties or has a large tourism base." However, retail trade has also become the county's second highest employment sector, and the low annual wages in retail are less than half the average annual wage in the county. The observation of the county as a regional retail center is based on the county's taxable sales compared to the potential sales during the year 2001. The potential sales, based on population, would indicate sales of $443 million, while the taxable sales amounted to $502 million, a surplus of about $59 million. Since that data was compiled, the county has proposed development of Crossroads Common, a retail shopping area at the intersection of Interstate 39 and County Trunk HH. Last month the county withdrew from the development, leaving it to the village of Plover and Told Development to complete. The component says sub-categories show only three areas with retail leakage: general merchandise stores, apparel and accessory stores, and furniture, home furnishings and equipment stores. The general merchandise store leakage was small, $368,007, and the report linked the leakage to concentration of general merchandise stores in neighboring counties. Apparel and accessory stores had the most sizeable leakage, $9,403,566, but the report attributed that partly to "declines in the industry." The report said the "most surprising leakage is in furniture, home furnishings and equipment stores" and amounted to $1,175,657," adding "This gap might point to limited expansion or recruitment opportunities." Since 2001, some stores in the last category have opened in the county. While the county has the surplus in sales, a section on "Future Commercial Development Location" identifies four major shopping areas in the county: downtown Stevens Point, the Highway 10 East commercial area in Stevens Point, the County Trunk B retail district in Plover and the proposed Crossroads Common. That section says all four are within 15 minutes driving time of more than 71 percent of the county's population. An estimated 29.6 percent of the county's population is within a 15-minute walk of the downtown Stevens Point. Less than 4 percent of the population is within 15 minutes walking time of the other three areas. The report cites some potential retail development conflicts, noting that the county has the opportunity to maintain or expand the regional commercial position. "However, Portage County is surrounded by a number of commercial centers. The proximity of Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, Appleton and Portage allows these areas to compete for customers within reasonable driving distances." Wausau is a half-hour drive from Stevens Point, improvements on Highway 54 have made Wisconsin Rapids seem closer, a four-lane Highway 10 that opened in December makes Appleton an hour trip and Portage is also about an hour away on I-39. The report says new commercial growth can either fill an existing gap or re-allocate existing demand. "The potential impact could be an increased vacancy rate in other retail nodes, resulting in a swap of space rather than an expansion," the report says. "Accordingly, the need for new commercial development should be considered with regards to the proposed business mix of the new development and its potential to impact specific retail categories in the community or region." The impact of the county as a regional retail center has some financial ramifications because the retail sector has the lowest-paying jobs. The component reports that retail trade is the second highest employer in the county behind services, yet it is the fifth highest in earnings, with an average annual wage of $13,243. That annual wage is the lowest in the county by more than $10,000 among the various categories and less than half the county average wage of $26,734 in 2000. "While retail employment has increased significantly between 1969 and 2000, the retail trade sector now contributes a smaller amount to total earnings than it did in 1969," the report said. "Retail employment in Portage County continues to grow at a faster pace than the state or nation."