Site Fight Of The Week: Estero, FL
Can one word be the difference between a Wal-Mart and no Wal-Mart? In Estero, FL, that might be the case.
For years, Wal-Mart has had a loosely planned project in Estero on U.S. 41 and Estero Parkway. The project, however, has always been tied to the long-planned widening of U.S. 41 to 6 lanes. Wal-Mart is fighting hard to reclassify the project to a “super-concurrency” from just a “concurrency” - which currently prevents Wal-Mart from breaking ground until until the road project begins.
Al Norman at Battlemart runs down the laundry list of reasons locals are opposing the project, which would be detrimental to all of Estero’s long-held smart-growth plans
From the sounds of the city planners, moving up the Wal-Mart might jeopardize the timeline of the much-needed widening project. This on top of the serious traffic concerns of a putting in a Wal-Mart before the road is widened (Wal-Mart is planning to commission a new study which “changes the parameters” and magically reverses the conclusion that this would be a traffic nightmare.)
The road project already requires the city to donate several acres of a historic estate, and the proposed Wal-Mart site is only about 1000 feet away from the Koreshan Park Historic Site, which is a preserved unique 19th-century colony.
Like almost anywhere else in Florida - there is no shortage of Wal-Mart stores around Estero, with 8 in the Fort Myers area, and another 6 around Naples. Estero doesn’t need another one - all the signs are pointing to no for this new Wal-Mart.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
Email all five members of the Lee County Commission and tell them to say no Wal-Mart once and for all.
Posted by Eric Bull on Friday, September 26, 2008
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COMMENTS
Wal-Mart will go anywhere, and any place to put up a store. From the looks of things they want to be on every street corner! We successfully fought them off, but many communities have not been so fortunate. This is a HUGE CORPORATION THAT JUST MUSCLES THEIR WAY IN. It doesn’t matter to them if the locals want them or not--when Wal-Mart wants to come they find a way to do it.
Ticonderoga, about an hour and a half away from me should have kept them out but they didn’t. The local politicians WELCOMED THEM WITH OPEN ARMS! And what has been the result?
When Wal-Mart originally came they wanted a PILOT which is “payment in lieu of taxes.” A pilot means simply that taxes on the property being purchased won’t be taxed at their full value UNTIL AFTER 10 YEARS HAVE GONE BY!! The taxes are gradually raised over a ten year period.
Well--Wal-Mart’s pilot is up in Ticonderoga and they now have to pay 100% of the property taxes on their building. But Wal-Mart never had any intention of doing that. Their most recent move has been to SUE TICONDEROGA TO REDUCE THEIR ASSESSMENT BY 3 MILLION ON THEIR STORE!!
You pro-Wal-Mart’ers can have this company as far as I’m concerned. They have cost taxpayers millions if not more. They are so cheap they squeak. Anything they can do to save a buck and put more profits in their pocket--they DON’T HESISTATE TO DO. They cheat their employees, suppliers, and at times even their customers.
Wal-Mart can easily afford to pay their full share of taxes on the Ticonderoga store--BUT THEY’RE TOO CHEAP.
I for one stopped long time ago making the Walton family any richer. They have enough of taxpayers money!!
Jane in N.Y. in
Saturday, September 27 at 11:49 AM
Jane,
Do you know any other ‘tune’, we’ve heard this one before many times?
“It doesn’t matter to them if the locals want them or not--when Wal-Mart wants to come they find a way to do it.”
Do you know how ignorant that sounds? If the locals don’t want them, who will they get to shop in the store? They don’t build stores, unless they think people will shop there!! What you mean, is that SOME of the locals don’t want them, people like YOU!!
RDS in
Saturday, October 04 at 10:11 PM
...who will they get to shop in the store?
Poor people who have no vested interest in the community.
“America is at that awkward stage; it’s too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards.” ~ Claire Wolfe
Ken V in Texas
Monday, October 06 at 05:35 AM
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