Surf City, NC. ‘Cool City’ Messes With Very ‘Hot’ Wal-Mart
The motto of the town of Surf City is “big enough to be competitive, small enough to be happy.” Mayor Zander Guy, Jr. says his town “possesses all of the aspects of a friendly, active community. We take great pride in our safe and family-friendly environment.” Surf City prides itself on being a “commercial hub…where you will find restaurants, gift shops, grocery stores, churches, a fishing pier, tackle shops, surf shops and kayaking shops. I invite you to visit any of our local merchants and find out why Surf City is such a wonderful community.” But Mayor Guy’s been keeping company with some merchants who are not local, and who eat local merchants for their lunch: Wal-Mart.
The Jacksonville Daily News revealed this week that a commercial developer from Indianapolis has met in private with the Surf City planning department several times regarding property for a Wal-Mart in Surf City. According to the Mayor, the developer has been in “constant contact” with the town’s planning department over the past “couple of months.” The developer is looking for 150 acres for a Wal-Mart, which is about five times bigger than a Wal-Mart parcel needs to be. “We don’t have anything concrete at this time,” the Mayor said, probably not aware of the pun. But the developer has very concrete plans, and has been inquiring about water and sewer requests, including a request for 50,000 gallons of sewage per day. The Mayor casually added, “They have also presented the planning department with preliminary site plans.” In other words, without the public knowing a thing about it, town staff have been spending hours of time with these developers. The Mayor would only say he “believes” the land Wal-Mart wants is currently undeveloped, and across from a Lowe’s Home Improvement store at the corner of Routes 17 and 210. Historically speaking, you often see a Wal-Mart by a Lowe’s or other large retail business,” he told the Daily News. He has biased himself already, and should step down when the matter comes before his board.
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Posted by Al Norman on Tuesday, August 05 | 0 comments | Permalink
York County, VA. Wal-Mart Vs. George W. Bush
Move over, George W. An unusual tourist attraction that features some of America’s most powerful men is being squeezed out by a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter. According to the Virginia Gazette, the “Presidents Park” attraction, which features giant busts of the 43 American Presidents, could have to find a new home if Wal-Mart buys the land on which the Presidents reside.
The attraction includes narrative information on each inhabitant of the White House, including their height and weight. The owner of Presidents Park, Harley Newman, doesn’t want to sell the land, but one of his partners has passed away, and the heirs don’t want anything to do with the 43 Presidents. Newman has not taken the big step yet of selling to Wal-Mart, but none of the Presidents will be able to veto that move. “We don’t have a contract with anyone yet,” Newman told the Gazette.
If Wal-Mart buys the land, it will sit directly across from a huge “lifestyle center” that is under development, called the Marquis Shopping Center. A developer already has approval to build an 800,000 s.f. retail complex. One York County Commissioner has called the Marquis center “a new dimension, a lifestyle shopping center that we don’t have in York County.” The center is expected to attract retailers like JC Penney, Best Buy and Dick’s Sporting Goods. But a local commercial real estate broker is fighting to protect President’s Park, and reject Wal-Mart. Chris Henderson, a member of the James City County Planning Commission, told the Gazette that Presidents Park adds value to the region. “I think it would be a shame to lose it for the sake of another big-box store,” Henderson admitted. He’s trying to attract investors who would set up a non-profit to run the Park. “Then it would have an educational mission.”
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Posted by Al Norman on Thursday, July 31 | 0 comments | Permalink
WAL-MART RUMORS IN YORK, VA
Heads up for Wal-Mart [Virginia Gazette]
Chris Henderson laments that Presidents Park doesn’t get any respect. “It’s kind of the red-headed stepchild of the area’s attractions,” he said Tuesday.
Or perhaps the big-headed stepchild.
In any case, Henderson would like to form a group of local investors to save the park, which features giant busts of all 43 presidents.
It’s been on the block for just over a year. Haley Newman doesn’t want to sell it, but one of his co-owners died and the heirs want out.
Newman said Tuesday there have been a number of inquiries about buying the property. “But we don’t have a contract with anyone yet,” he said.
Wal-Mart is said by others to be eyeing the site. That would put stores at both intersections of I-64 and Route 199, and directly across from the troubled Marquis shopping center.
Henderson, a commercial real estate broker and a member of the James City County Planning Commission, said Presidents Park adds to the area. “I think it would be a shame to lose it for the sake of another big-box store.”
He’d like to see a group of local investors buy the park and possibly create a nonprofit foundation to run it. “Then it would have an educational mission.”
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Posted by Tony Calero on Wednesday, July 30 | 0 comments | Permalink
New Map Details Wal-Mart’s Land Use Practices
With more than 4,000 units (stores and distribution centers) in the United States alone, Wal-Mart controls an enormous amount of real estate. A new map, compiled by researchers at Wal-Mart Watch, profiles most of the existing and planned Wal-Mart stores and Supercenters across the United States. Included in the profiles is information on store size, proximity to nearest distribution center, and type of development property.
Wal-Mart is constantly expanding, and we need your help to keep the map up to date and accurate. Use the submission form to add information about Wal-Mart projects and proposals in your area. Working together, we can build the most accurate and up-to-date information possible. Click here to view the map.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR UPDATING THE MAP: Click on the map. Search for and click on your local Wal-Mart to see more information about it. Have something to add? Click “Update Information” and fill in the appropriate form fields. Can¹t find your local Wal-Mart? Click here to add it to the map!
For further background reading, download the companion report “Perpetuating Sprawl: Understanding Wal-Mart’s Development in Pennsylvania, New York, California, and Ohio” (PDF)
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, July 29 | 15 comments | Permalink
Wal-Mart Watch Weekly Update For Elected Officials
Check out this week’s issue of the Wal-Mart Watch Weekly Update for Elected Officials – a compilation of Wal-Mart news from across the country and beyond.
This week’s issue focuses on the shortfalls facing state budgets across the country, and how Wal-Mart’s schemes to avoid state taxes have exacerbated those budget problems. You’ll be able to download our most recent tax report entitled: One Company’s Plan to – Save Money, Live Better: Wal-Mart’s Tax Avoidance Schemes. In addition, you’ll be able to download our most recent edition of the Wal-Mart Watch: In Depth newsletter, entitled Wal-Mart’s Great Tax Dodge.
Beyond the tax reports, you’ll: learn how one likely New York mayoral candidate plans to keep Wal-Mart out of New York City; read more about Wal-Mart’s lawsuit involving Adidas plus the lawsuit concerning the company’s 401(k) plan; and, find out how Wal-Mart’s seaports in Los Angeles and Long Beach are in fact the largest polluters in Southern California.
And finally, check out our “Stateside” and “Wal-Mart International” sections to find out what’s going on with Wal-Mart around the country and across the globe.
Wal-Mart Watch Weekly Update for Elected Officials
Posted by Corey Himrod on Monday, July 28 | 3 comments | Permalink
States Face Massive Budget Shortfalls, Wal-Mart Still Avoids Taxes
An article this week in the Wall Street Journal reports that state legislatures across the country are facing painful budget shortfalls. Reporting from the National Conference of State Legislatures, the article’s author notes that budget deficits are growing as the economy weakens, and legislators don’t know what to do.
We’ve long documented Wal-Mart’s failure to pay its fair share of state taxes - whether it’s by elaborate schemes to avoid property taxes or by forcing a disproportionate number of its employees on to state-sponsored medical plans. Wal-Mart isn’t mentioned in this article from the WSJ, but it certainly deserves to be. The company makes promises to communities it wants to build in, and in exchange townships wind up footing the bill for store construction and forgiving Wal-Mart the tax money it owes. While this certainly isn’t a solution to nationwide community budget shortfalls, it’s one piece of the puzzle local officials need to bear in mind.
States Slammed by Tax Shortfalls [Wall Street Journal]
The stumbling U.S. economy is forcing states to slash spending and cut jobs in order to close a projected $40 billion shortfall in the current fiscal year.
That gap—identified Wednesday in a survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures—is more than triple the size of the previous year’s. It is the result of broad economic weakness at the state and local levels that could cause pain throughout this year and into 2010. Sales-tax collections, for example, have been hurt by the housing slump and high gasoline prices, which are prompting cutbacks in consumer spending. Personal income-tax collections have been hit by rising unemployment, while corporate income-tax collections have been eroded by falling profits.
“We expect it to get worse before it gets better,” said Corina Eckl, fiscal-program director of the National Conference of State Legislatures. The conference’s new report describes the shortfalls states face in their budgeting process for the current fiscal year, which began in July.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Friday, July 25 | 38 comments | Permalink
Give Workers A Break, Not Wal-Mart
Every day, communities across America choose to side with Wal-Mart, the world’s largest corporation, rather than local workers and small businesses. Wake Up Wal-Mart, along with community leaders across the country, are standing and demanding a change. From WakeUpWalMart.com:
Starting today, supporters of WakeUpWalMart.com and local elected officials will hold hundreds of press conferences throughout the country to launch a new campaign “Give Workers a break, not Wal-Mart.” The national effort will call on local officials and candidates at the local, state and federal level to side with workers, not Walmart.
As part of the launch of this new campaign, local WakeUpWalmart.com supporters, elected officials and candidates for office will gather outside Walmart stores to speak out about how the world’s largest retailer stands to profit from John McCain’s tax plan while working Americans continue to struggle in this tough economy. Supporters of WakeUpWalmart.com will hand out flyers to tell Wal-Mart customers how the retail giant stands to save billions under John McCain’s tax plan.
Elected officials, community leaders and candidates will also sign the “Give Workers a Break, Not Wal-Mart Pledge” which calls on John McCain, as well as local and state governments to demand that Wal-Mart end its irresponsible and immoral business practices.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Wednesday, July 23 | 32 comments | Permalink
SPEAKING OUT ON THE BPOL TAX IN STAFFORD, VA
Letter to the Editor: Stafford supervisors were wrong on BPOL tax [Free Lance-Star (Va.)]
What a circus the Stafford County Board of Supervisors is ["Cash-strapped county seeks more revenue,” July 2].
I watched the BPOL hearing on TV because though I’m a small-business owner and resident of Stafford County, I couldn’t attend the hearing for lack of child care for my two children that night.
It was amazing how many people stood in front of the board and argued how this BPOL tax would affect them.
And still, four supervisors decided to vote on their own agenda rather than how the people who elected them told them to vote.
If I remember correctly, our government is elected by the people and for the people.
Supervisors Joe Brito, George Schwartz, Robert Woodson, and Harry Crisp didn’t act according to what their constituents thought was correct, fair, and reasonable. They should feel the wrath of all Stafford County small-business owners and residents.
As far as I’m concerned, these four gentlemen should resign immediately. They don’t look after what is best for us in Stafford County. They want to kill the backbone of our economy. They want to get all the small “mom and pop” businesses out and let the big guys like Wal-Mart and Target rule our county.
After all, Wal-Mart and Target don’t care about this new tax; they didn’t even show up at the hearing.
Boycott Supervisors Brito, Schwartz, Woodson, and Crisp. They should move to another county with the BPOL already in place and open their own small business; let’s see how they do.
Nylsa A. Correa
Stafford
Posted by Tony Calero on Friday, July 18 | 0 comments | Permalink
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