Decorah Walmart will not be painted blue

The Decorah City Council has rejected a request by Walmart that it be allowed to paint its Decorah store blue and gray.

The request was submitted to the city as part of a rebranding campaign by Walmart.  Walmart needed the city's permission for the new exterior color because when Walmart opened its new store in Decorah in 2003, it agreed with the City of Decorah that it would use a tan and green color scheme which city officials felt helped the building to blend in with the surroundings.

Because that was part of the development agreement for the store, any change in the color scheme requires Decorah City Council approval.

The city's Planning & Zoning Commission earlier this month voted 4-3 in favor of the new color scheme, but on Monday night the city council voted 5-1 in opposition, with Randy Schissel the lone dissenting vote.  Schissel questioned forcing Walmart to paint its store a certain color when neighboring businesses weren't required to make the same agreement.