Daytona Beach, FL. Wal-Mart Tries to Remove Trees

Madison Ave. residents, Wal-Mart negotiate on new store [Daytona Beach News-Journal (Fla.)]

On Thanksgiving Eve, officials with Wal-Mart hope to push through their plans to put in a new super center on Nova Road between Mason and Madison avenues.

The City Commission will be asked to give final approval to rezone the area to allow the store and authorize the company to take out numerous “historic” trees from the site.

But members of the Kingston Community Group, whose members live in the area, are trying to get some concessions beforehand.

Pastor Evans L. Smith of Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church on Madison Avenue said members are scheduled to meet with Wal-Mart officials, along with City Manager Jim Chisholm and Mayor Glenn Ritchey, at City Hall on Tuesday.

“We’re believing that on Tuesday we’re going to have a developmental agreement and a community agreement with Wal-Mart. We’re trying to get it in writing,” Evans said.

He said some of the things residents want guaranteed include a taller buffer wall between the store and the neighborhood, a retention pond to relieve stormwater drainage issues and adequate security.

“Hopefully, we can work together,” Smith said. “That is the goal. I don’t think we have thus far.”

If the Tuesday meeting produces a written agreement, Smith said his group will not fight during Wednesday’s commission meeting. If not, he’s not sure what stand the residents will take.

Ritchey pushed to postpone the rezoning in September, saying it would give the neighbors and Wal-Mart time to work out any disagreements they had about the project.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Quenta Vettel said Wal-Mart officials met with city officials and neighbors on Sept. 28. Tuesday’s meeting is a follow-up to make sure the company has done what it could to meet many of the residents’ concerns, she said.

Still, Smith said his group has concerns. Members do not want a 24-hour store. They don’t want a large store, either. Some super centers are 125,000 square feet, but plans for the store in his neighborhood call for a 160,000-square-foot facility. By comparison, the Ormond Beach Wal-Mart at Interstate 95 and Granada Boulevard is about 200,000 square feet.

Smith also said if Wal-Mart would reduce the size of its store and reduce the proposed 800 parking spaces to about 500, a lot of trees could be saved.

But Vettel said the cost of developing the property, including stormwater drainage, requires the company to put in a larger store.

“Trying to put a smaller store on there, you can’t recoup your costs,” she said.

Smith said his group is not against the Wal-Mart corporation itself.

“One of the things we are trying to say is we don’t want any big box store in that area of the neighborhood,” he said.

He said neighbors wouldn’t mind a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market, like the one at Nova Road and Flomich Street.

But Smith also said residents are petty much resigned to the fact Wal-Mart will soon be their neighbor. He said the company is working with the predominantly black community to hire as many minority contractors as possible during development.

And he said that, while Wal-Mart officials say they will bring jobs, he hopes they are quality jobs.

“I don’t think that they’ll solve our job problem if it’s minimum wage. We would love for them to offer at least $10 an hour, and we would love for them to offer full-time employment,” Smith said. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.