DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — Paul Adamski's house, built by his father in the 1950s, is a testament to family.
"My dad also built that little playhouse that you see back there," Adamski said while giving a tour of his property.
His neighborhood is the same way.
"These were the only friends I knew growing up in this neighborhood as a child," he said.
But now, the surrounding area is mostly vacant, with orange mesh covering the entrances to nearby houses. That was not seen when city officials said the grocery chain was interested in opening a location in the area back in March.
"There's a popular song I was sharing with my daughter this morning by Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders, and it's titled 'My City Was Gone,'" Adamski said. "This is what it's about."
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On Wednesday night, the City of Sturgeon Bay's Plan Commission approved the financial package, which includes intersection improvements. This would extend Ashland Avenue, bulldozing five properties in the area.
"It's pretty incredible to think about a year from now, the west side could have two grocery stores," Gustafson said in a Facebook post Wednesday night. "Tonight marked another important step forward."
Adamski likes the idea, but he did not expect it to happen during his lifetime.
While Adamski's property is not directly needed for the project, he was still offered $400,000 by Midwest Expansion Companies to sell.
He's not budging.
"This house means what it does to me," Adamski said. "I'm standing tall, doing what I can to make sure that they don't take this away from me."
Gustafson said that the Sturgeon Bay Common Council will review the plan next week.
