Sight Fight Of The Week: West Dundee, IL

In West Dundee, IL, a small town in the Chicago metro area, a raging site fight appears close to over. After several heated local hearings where the Wal-Mart opposition overwhelmed the support, Village Board President Larry Keller has said that “next week is decision week.”

Earlier this week Al Norman did a great job profiling this site fight and running down some of the zoning concerns the locals have.

In short, local homeowners were blindsided in 2000 when the village informed them that a large tract of land near their homes would be rezoned from residential to commerical to make more retail space. Residents immediately mobilized against a proposed Miejer store there, and are fighting even harder now against a Wal-Mart plan.

The reasons to oppose a new Wal-Mart in West Dundee are overwhelming. It would bring increased traffic, noise, light and water pollution to the area, and further endanger the nearby Spring Hill Mall. Also, the opening of a West Dundee Wal-Mart would most likely mean that the East Dundee Wal-Mart, only several miles away, would close down and become an ugly waste of space. This is on top of a laundry list of problems with the company - including a business model which routinely discriminates against its employees and has driven thousands of Midwestern manufacturing jobs out of the area to replace them low wage, low benefit retail jobs.

But a local resident might have said it most succinctly in the Daily Herald:

“It is not something that will enhance our community,” said West Dundee resident Ariana Fontana, one of about 25 people who spoke Monday night. “Don’t take what you can get. The village can do better and residents deserve better.”

TAKE ACTION NOW

Village Board President Larry Keller has openly welcomed comments on the Wal-Mart issue, so let’s make sure the board gets a few more before it makes its decision next week. If you live in the area, send an email now to the entire Village Board and let them know Wal-Mart is a bad fit for West Dundee. 

Posted by Eric Bull on Wednesday, June 11, 2008

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