Waxhaw, NC. Second Wal-Mart Battle Now in Fifth Year
On January 10, 2007, Sprawl-Busters reported that the Union County, North Carolina Board of Commissioners had rejected the Conditional Use Permit for a 196,000 s.f. Wal-Mart superstore in the town of Waxhaw. After Wal-Mart applied, a change was made in the zoning to limit retail buildings in Waxhaw to 62,500 sq. ft. The decision to reject Wal-Mart was by a unanimous 5-0 vote. The Charlotte Observer said the vote ended the “bitter debate over whether the retailer would shatter Waxhaw’s identity as a small-town enclave of antique stores and horseback-supply shops.” Wal-Mart responded to their loss by suggesting that they would simply look for another site in the area, but that they were not considering any other sites with Waxhaw. The parcel they chose on Route 16 was just half a mile north of the quaint Waxhaw downtown. The Commissioners said that the store was not compatible with the character of the surrounding area.
Yet this week, Sprawl-Busters received an email from residents in Waxhaw about another long-standing Wal-Mart battle. According to residents, “We have been fighting Wal-Mart for over 5 years. The potential Wal-Mart would be a 24-hour SuperCenter within 50 feet of a residential neighborhood, and would have a direct access road from the Wal-Mart SuperCenter into a residential neighborhood.” The email was followed by a 5 year chronology of their fight with the world’s largest retailer: “Wal-Mart bought property at the corner of Rea Road and Tom Short Road in Waxhaw in 2001. In the spring of 2002, Wal-Mart filed site plans and a permit application for a 200,000+ sq. ft. supercenter with gas station and several outparcels. There is one Wal-Mart within 7 miles of Waxhaw and another one under construction within 5 miles of Waxhaw. The road from the Wal-Mart parking lot would pass by the neighborhood playground putting children and their families at an extreme safety risk.
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Posted by Al Norman on Monday, July 02 | 0 comments | Permalink
Wal-Mart Watch Report: “Work at Your Own Risk”
Wal-Mart Watch today released a new report on the retail giant’s workers’ inadequate workers’ compensation program that exposes serious risks to both its workers and the public. The report, titled “Work At Your Own Risk,” highlights ways Wal-Mart puts the health of their employees as risk while shifting the burden of caring for its on-the-job injured employees onto the taxpayer. It explains how Wal-Mart, the United States’ largest private employer, has a track record of difficulty in complying with state workers’ compensation laws, while putting its employees’ health in jeopardy. The study examines seven state case studies that have ramifications for the company’s operations in all 50 states. Key examples include:
- In 2001, the State of Washington Department of Labor and Industries made the unprecedented move of threatening to seize control of Wal-Mart’s entire injured worker program, after the company showed itself “unwilling or unable to manage its workers’ compensation program as required by law.” A decertification case ultimately was settled, but Wal-Mart is prohibited from self-administering its workers’ compensation program claims in Washington until 2010.
- In 2004, Maine amended the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act and began tracking workers’ compensation payments and claims challenges, finding Wal-Mart’s challenging of workers’ compensation claims was “off the charts.”
- Class action was filed in 2007 in Oklahoma for retaliation against employees who filed workers’ compensation claims. The charges include cutting hours, transferring employees to less desirable positions, and termination. There are over 30,000 people employed by Wal-Mart in Oklahoma.
- Individual stories reflect a policy, whether formal or informal, of fighting claims regardless of validity, and delaying payments as long as possible. The result is an increase in the number of employees forced onto federal and state programs to pay for treatment and subsidize lost wages, effectively shifting the cost of compensation workers away from Wal-Mart and onto taxpayers.
Click here to read the full report.
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Thursday, June 28 | 19 comments | Permalink
SOUTH CAROLINA SITE FIGHT: WAL-MART ADDRESSES NEIGHBORS’ CONCERNS
Wal-Mart addresses neighbors’ concerns [Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Sun News]
Wal-Mart is modifying its plans for a Supercenter on the Garden City Connector in Murrells Inlet to address some traffic concerns.
The company’s engineers are working with the state Department of Transportation to limit access to U.S. 17 Business, which has been a point of contention with many nearby residents concerned about the megastore’s effect on the already busy roads.
Wal-Mart’s engineers will resubmit drawings for the center soon, and a timeline for the center is dependant upon the company’s progress, said Horry County Principal Planner David Schwerd. Company officials say the store is projected to open in fall 2008.
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Thursday, June 28 | 0 comments | Permalink
VIRGINIA SITE FIGHT: PLANS OPEN FOR PUBLIC VIEWING
Wal-Mart plans open for public viewing [The News and Advance (Lynchburg, Va.)]
Citizens now can see Wal-Mart’s plans for a new store off Old Forest Road.
The plans are available for viewing at Lynchburg’s Community Development Department on the second floor of City Hall at 900 Church St.
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Tuesday, June 26 | 0 comments | Permalink
SOUTH CAROLINA SITE FIGHT: CONSTRUCTION STARTS ON DISPUTED WAL-MART SITE
Construction starts on Wal-Mart [Rock Hill (S.C.) Herald]
TEGA CAY—Tega Cay’s Wal-Mart is showing signs of life.
Construction crews have graded the site for the retail giant, and the concrete outer walls are taking shape.After three years of controversy, a Wal-Mart near the intersection of S.C. 160 and Dam Road is becoming a reality.
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Friday, June 22 | 0 comments | Permalink
NEW JERSEY SITE FIGHT: TRAFFIC TROUBLES
Wal-Mart traffic plan worries Lawrence residents [The Times of Trenton (N.J.)]
LAWRENCE—Visions of an increasingly congested Spruce Street due to a proposed Wal-Mart dominated residents’ concerns at this week’s planning board meeting.
The 143,000-square-foot site Wal-Mart has chosen for construction is near North Olden Avenue and Halo Farm and the Trenton Farmer’s Market, and adjacent to several residential developments. Spruce Street has four lanes, which under Wal-Mart’s plan would be reduced to two in order to make for smoother traffic flow, according to engineer and planner Raymond DiPasquale.
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Thursday, June 21 | 0 comments | Permalink
MARYLAND SITE FIGHT: STORE EXPANSION BRINGS CONCERN
Concerns raised over Wal-Mart store expansion [Maryland Gazette]
Wal-Mart wants to expand its store in Laurel by more than a third, a move that has Russett residents concerned the retailer will complicate traffic patterns.
Residents say they have expected the store to grow in size, but since it opened in 1994, nearby roads have become busier than ever.
Wal-Mart wants to add another 40,000 square feet to its 115,000 square-foot-store, improve the facade, lighting and store interior, said Rhoda Washington, a spokesman for the Arkansas-based retailer.
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Wednesday, June 20 | 0 comments | Permalink
City ‘big-box’ law requires more work [(Va.) News and Advance]
City ‘big-box’ law requires more work [(Va.) News and Advance]
Lynchburg City Council members will do more research before deciding whether to create new rules for developers wanting to build large retail stores.
In March, the city’s planning commission recommended requiring developers building retail stores larger than 50,000 square feet to get a permit from council.
Requiring a permit would mean council could study the stores’ plans on a case-by-case basis, and citizens could voice their thoughts at public hearings
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Wednesday, June 13 | 0 comments | Permalink
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