WAL-MART PLAN ON HOLD IN TUNKHANNOCK, WY
Wyoming planners table plans for Wal-Mart, pending review [Times Tribune (Pa.)]
The Wyoming County Planning Commission agreed Wednesday to table plans for a 154,702-square-foot Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Eaton Township until a review of the project is completed.
“I have gone over a lot of it,” county planner Paul Weilage said. “At this point, my review is not complete.”
Wal-Mart is proposing the supercenter be built south of Tunkhannock on Route 29. The store would be located near Skyhaven Airport and opposite a current Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has a purchase agreement to buy the land from Select Sires of Plain City, Ohio.
Mr. Weilage said a 90-day review of the plans began Wednesday and the planning office still must complete a review on landscape, handicapped parking and other subjects. A storm-water review by county engineers CECO Associates must still be received, he added.
The supercenter would be located on a 59-acre parcel, according to attorney Mark Van Loon, of Wilkes-Barre. He noted that a 1-acre parcel and a 2-acre parcel would also be a part of the development to allow for restaurant and retail.
Mr. Van Loon said the application is being reviewed by the state Department of Transportation.
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Posted by Joel Nezianya on Thursday, June 19 | 0 comments | Permalink
COUNCIL QUARRELING OVER WAL-MART APPROACHES IN RAPID CITY, SD
Councilman questions planning member’s past Wal-mart vote [Rapid City Journal (S.D.)]
Alderman Bill Okrepkie raised concerns Monday about the reappointment of Tom Hennies to the city planning commission because of Hennies’ past vote against a proposed second Wal-Mart.
Okrepkie said 70 percent of constituents in Ward 3 voted two years ago in favor of building a Wal-Mart on the south side of the city. That project eventually fell apart for other reasons, but Okrepkie said Hennies’ vote against the project as a member of the planning commission does not represent public sentiment.
“That’s not in the best interest of my ward or the community,” Okrepkie said.
Other Rapid City Council members said it was inappropriate for Okrepkie to single out Hennies for his position on one issue. The appointment, which was eventually approved, was part of a list of five appointments to the commission.
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Posted by Joel Nezianya on Tuesday, June 17 | 0 comments | Permalink
NMHC’s Walkable Communities Toolkit
Urban planning is a major part of building sustainable communities, and a new toolkit from National Multi Housing Coalition (NMHC) will help planners and residents work together to create walkable communities. As NMHC president Doug Bibby explains, “In many communities, sprawling suburban style development has been the rule for so long that their leaders don’t know the best way to create walkable, human-scale neighborhoods.” The toolkit offers case studies, policy tips and guidelines for those interested in planning walkable communities.
Wal-Mart is a huge part of this. As we’ve said before on this blog, the retailer depends on urban sprawl in a number of ways, and walkable communities are a huge threat to its business model. They’re also one of the most sustainable ways to build, something which Wal-Mart rarely acknowledges in its green messaging. NMHC has a ton more info - and links to other reports - on their website.
Demand for walkable, compact development is at an all-time high thanks to rising fuel costs, changing lifestyles and pressure to manage growth. To help communities across the country meet this demand, the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) and the Urban Land Institute have partnered to produce a new toolkit publication, Getting Density Right: Tools for Creating Vibrant Compact Development.
“Just five years ago, ‘density’ was a four-letter word,” said NMHC President Doug Bibby. “Now, though, consumers are embracing more urban lifestyles—from walkable villages to full-fledged city living. And local officials, under pressure to manage growth, are eager to deliver the compact development people are clamoring for.”
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Posted by Enviro. Team on Monday, June 16 | 0 comments | Permalink
Board to Review Controversial Rogers Store
Planners To Get Glimpse Of Market [NW Arkansas Morning News]
It shouldn’t be news in Northwest Arkansas that a new Wal-Mart store is coming to town—but it is.
The Rogers Planning Commission on Tuesday is scheduled to review large-scale development plans for Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market No. 5837—or as it has more informally become known, the Neighborhood Market at Pinnacle Hills.
The more than 36,000-square-foot store would be a change of pace from older Neighborhood Markets.
This market would be a prototype store, featuring warmer colors and updated interior features, according to a news release from Laurie Smalling of the Wal-Mart Office of Public Affairs and Government Relations.
The store also would feature a wide selection of healthful food choices, such as an increased selection of organic items and produce, the release states.
The Neighborhood Market would be on 5.4 acres of a 63-acre development known as The District at Pinnacle Hills, owned by Bill Schwyhart and Robert Thornton.
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Posted by Tony Calero on Tuesday, June 03 | 0 comments | Permalink
Wal-Mart Faces Numerous Obstacles in North Straban
Wal-Mart gets ‘to do’ list in North Straban [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
Wal-Mart must meet a list of conditions, including $3 million to $3.5 million in road improvements, before it can begin building a Supercenter on Route 519 in North Strabane.
Supervisors granted final site plan approval Tuesday, nearly a year after granting preliminary site approval for the store, which will be near the Houston exit of Interstate 79. The stretch of Route 519 in front of the site is between Interstate 79, Route 980 and Route 19.
Wal-Mart hopes to open the store by spring 2010.
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Posted by Tony Calero on Tuesday, June 03 | 0 comments | Permalink
Douglas, WY. Wal-Mart Restarts Old Battle
Wal-Mart restarts Douglas plans [Casper Star Tribune (Wyo.)]
After withdrawing in March plans to build a SuperCenter here, Wal-Mart has announced it is reviving that effort.
The chain store and its planners expect to start construction in late spring 2009 and hold a grand opening a year later, said Joshua Phair, Wal-Mart senior manager for public affairs in Wyoming.
The company pulled its plans in March as part of a national slowdown in SuperCenter development. Proposed SuperCenters in Rawlins and Worland were not withdrawn.
“We always wanted to be in Douglas. Through the national business model, it was unclear whether we’d be able to act in Douglas as quickly as we wanted to,” Phair said. “We were able to work some things out internally.”
When the company called off the project, the city had just announced the first scheduled public hearings on several items. Wal-Mart was seeking annexation of the land the company plans to build on, as well as a subdivision permit and a building permit.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, May 12 | 0 comments | Permalink
Colorado Lawmakers Take Aim at Wal-Mart’s Tax Strategies
Wal-Mart has avoided paying thousands of dollars in state taxes over the years by paying rent to itself in a process known as “captive REITs.” After the Wall Street Journal exposed the practice last year, several states have revised their tax code to prevent large corporations from exploiting the hole. Colorado is now the latest state to move to close the controversial loophole, with legislation pending that would force corporations to pay their full share of taxes. “Captive REITs” and Wal-Mart’s other tax avoidance strategies are discussed in the latest issue of Wal-Mart Watch In Depth: “The Great Tax Dodge. Click the image at right to download the full document.
Bill targets Wal-Mart ‘tax evasion scheme’ [Rocky Mountain News]
Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, introduced a tax bill designed to stop Wal-Mart and other companies from deducting real-estate expenses they’re paying to themselves.
Levy calls the technique an illegal tax evasion scheme.
The tactic, revealed by The Wall Street Journal in February 2007, involves Wal-Mart giving its stores and land to a real estate investment trust, which it then pays rent to. REITs pay no corporate taxes if they pay out most of their income to shareholders.
Another Wal-Mart subsidiary owns the REIT and gets the income. The rent is then deducted on state income taxes as a business expense.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Wednesday, April 23 | 7 comments | Permalink
Madill, OK. When City Goes Fishing For Bigger Wal-Mart, Local Grocer Shuts Down
Officials in one small Oklahoma community went fishing for a larger Wal-Mart, but killed off the smaller fish in the process.
The tiny “city” of Madill, Oklahoma has roughly 3,700 people. It already has a Wal-Mart discount store, and is surrounded by three Wal-Mart supercenters in Durant and Ardmore, Oklahoma, and Denison, Texas. Its median family income is just over half of the average household income in America, making Madill a prime choice for Wal-Mart. The city is located in Marshall County, which is described by the Madill Chamber of Commerce as “strategically located approximately halfway between Dallas and Oklahoma City.” According to the Chamber of Commerce, Madill is located in the “Striper Capital of the World,” because of Lake Texoma, which as 589 miles of shoreline. Lake Texoma is famous for its striped bass, or striper fishing. Stripers were introduced into the lake in 1969 and have flourished ever since. Texoma is one of the few lakes in the United States where stripers reproduce.
Fishing is the big lure for tourists in Madill, and the big blue and red Wal-Mart sign on South First street in Madill says “Striper Fishing Headquarters.” The Chamber says Marshall County is “the Smallest County in Oklahoma with the Biggest Heart!” Apparently this small county now needs a bigger Wal-Mart. According to KTen television, the Madill City Council is hooked on a super Wal-Mart, and has already signed an agreement to allow the store to expand. The agreement includes a nice welfare package for Wal-Mart--a taxpayer subsidy. The city’s taxpayers are going to pay to provide “infrastructure” to the site for a 98,000 s.f. building. Wal-Mart has said that it will pick up the cost of widening Route 70, and putting in a traffic signal at the main entrance to the store. City officials say the new superstore will bring in more traffic and consumers to Madill---and it will bring tourists visting Lake Texoma into Madill for fishing supplies. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jeff Hudson told the TV station, “The current Wal-Mart we have right now carries alot more fishing equipment than some of the other Wal-Marts do, so that would certainly be a plus.”
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Posted by Al Norman on Monday, April 21 | 0 comments | Permalink
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