Decision on Kwik Trip demolition application delayed

A special exemption doesn’t appear to be on the way just yet for a major employer in La Crosse.

City hall has been less than enthused, so far, to a plan by Kwik Trip to tear down a house the company owns next to one of its stores on Losey Boulevard.

The reasoning is partially because the company doesn’t want to make what is known as a payment in lieu of taxes — or PILOT — to the city after removing the property.

City council member GAry Padesky, who represents the area, says doing so could set a bad precedent for major economic players in the city.

“But then what do you say to Gundersen Lutheran?” Padesky asked. “What do you say to Mr. (Don) Weber, if he came forward with something? If you start with one, then they’re all going to say, ‘What about me?’”

In its application letter to the city, Kwik Trip cited its growing corporate presence in the area as a reason it should be able to tear down the house without penalty.

The company has owned the small house at 1003 Losey Boulevard for 20 years. It’s assessed at $140,700 and the company pays a little more than $4,000 in property taxes on it.

City staff has recommended against allowing the demolition based, in part, on the lack of available single-family homes in La Crosse.