Council Receives Sam's Club Special Area Study Update

The Sam’s Club Special Area Study began in 2014, in accordance with policy direction provided within the 2013 Comprehensive Plan, and included an area of land generally running from the former Sam’s Club site south along the Midway Corridor, including the Midway Square Shopping Center and Office in the Park. At the conclusion of that process in 2015, the City Council only provided direction on the portion of the study area that was the former Sam's Club property. The vision for the other areas within the study was never finalized.

In April 2021, the City Council approved a professional services agreement for a planning consultant and appointed a project advisory committee to complete the study. With the establishment of a 17-member project advisory committee for this re-initiated special project, the City Council directed staff to expand the study area to the south to include commercial properties situated between Office in the Park and the Greenhill School campus.

Following the initiation of the project, the project team and the project advisory committee met three times. The Town also hosted two community open houses at the Addison Athletic Club in order to receive broader community feedback at key milestones in the project. Following the second community open house, the advisory committee shared their strong desire for additional discussion and refinement of the direction of the study. The committee was committed to developing recommendations that respect existing neighborhoods and businesses and at that time, they did not feel that the process had achieved that intent.

The feedback shared by the committee resulted in a shared commitment from Town staff and the committee to carry out a much more open-ended dialogue on the future of the study area. That commitment resulted in four additional meetings between the advisory committee and staff. The outcome of those meetings is the draft Sam’s Club Special Area Study strategic framework.

At its April 26 meeting, the City Council reviewed the draft strategic framework and provided feedback and direction. Staff will publish a draft study document for public review in May, with Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council action to be considered by July.

You can watch Council's Sam's Club Special Area discussion here and read the presentation here.