Inside a meeting room in the city hall, senior Conrad Wojtan positioned himself against a wall, standing shoulder to shoulder in the crowd of attendees.

On Dec. 11,  representatives from Walmart announced a preliminary hearing of a proposal for the construction of a Walmart store at 1000 Skokie Blvd. At this meeting, the representatives introduced different cases of how the potential construction may affect the surrounding environment and residents.

As Sandy Frum, president of the Village of Northbrook, administered the meeting, the representatives discussed considerations regarding the zoning of the land, parking lot regulations, community reactions, landscaping, associated crime, business hours, signage and traffic.

Wojtan, who said he opposes the building of Walmart, said that when the trustees insisted a general vote, a majority of the attendees raised their hands against the idea.

According to Frum, the main concerns that were brought up in the meeting dealt with traffic, the low popularity of Walmart in the community and how Walmart may potentially devalue the residents’ homes. On the other hand, Frum said the representatives presented benefits such as the generation of sales tax, increase of employment and that Walmart is a business people would like to have in the community.

After Frum received mixed feedback from Northbrook residents through emails and phone calls, she said she still expects a lot more commentary in the near future.

According to Frum, Walmart has only submitted a preliminary application. If Walmart plans to submit a formal application to follow through with their proposal, the business will have decided to pursue the plan. After many set meetings, the seven elected members of the board vote and determine the ultimate decision for the construction of Walmart.

“[Students] are just as much a part of making comments,” Frum said.

Frum encourages students to let the board know what they think and whether Walmart could be beneficial or harmful to Northbrook. Students should also be aware of the current status of the plan by visiting the village of Northbrook website and consulting with their parents.

“It’s very important that we get reactions from everybody,” Frum said.