IOWA SITE FIGHT: BOARD RULES DESPITE CITIZENS’ OBJECTIONS
New Wal-Mart approved by city board [The Fairfield (Iowa) Ledger]
Plans for a 98,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter in Fairfield can move forward.
Despite protests from an overflow crowd at the Fairfield City Hall Council Chambers, the city’s Board of Adjustments voted unanimously Tuesday evening to grant the business a conditional-use permit to build a facility larger than 15,000 square feet. The board did not, however, grant the company a variance to the city’s landscaping requirements.
During the public hearing, several people expressed concerns about an expansion’s effect on the local economy. Fairfield resident Catherine Castle said she witnessed the damage to local businesses when Wal-Mart first came to the community. Fairfield has revived its local businesses, and the businesses deserve the opportunity to flourish, she said.
“Why do we need a larger Wal-Mart?” Castle asked. “This one serves this town very well.”
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Thursday, September 06 | 0 comments | Permalink
ILLINOIS SITE FIGHT: RESIDENTS FIGHT BACK
Residents rally against Wal-Mart [Edwardsville (Ill.) Journal]
Lawsuit filed over store’s expansionMinutes before Tuesday night’s Glen Carbon Village Board meeting, members of the Glen-Ed Citizens for Fair Growth group announced that they had filed a lawsuit against the Village of Glen Carbon.
Joined by their attorney Penni Livingston, members of organization said they plan to fight the expansion of Wal-Mart.
Named as plaintiffs in the suit are Susan and Walter Hammill, Jane and Leon “Bud” Mace and Marcel Brown.
“This afternoon we filed a lawsuit on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Mace and Mr. and Mrs. Hammill, and also on behalf of Marcel Brown. They are all within 1,200 feet of the Wal-Mart development. They belong to the Glen-Ed Citizens for Fair Growth and they’re really mad. They hired a lawyer to sue the city and the developer,” Livingston explained to a small crowd outside of Village Hall.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Wednesday, September 05 | 0 comments | Permalink
MICHIGAN SITE FIGHT: WMT PROPOSAL SENT BACK TO COMMITTEE
Clinton Twp. sends Wal-Mart proposal back [The Detroit News]
Township trustees on Tuesday night sent back to the planning commission for reconsideration a proposal by Wal-Mart to open a supercenter at the busy corner of M-59 and Romeo Plank.
With the vote to send the plan back, the trustees continue to butt heads with Wal-Mart representatives. Trustees are hoping to get at least some of the concessions the corporation has given other Michigan communities in recent months. Township attorney Jack Dolan pointed out concessions Wal-Mart has made regarding reduced store hours in Livonia and traffic safety issues in Fenton and Shelby Township before board members voted Tuesday evening.
“There seems to be a lot of evidence that Wal-Mart with many municipalities displayed an attitude they’re willing to look seriously at issues that may affect the surrounding neighborhoods and communities,” Dolan said.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Wednesday, September 05 | 0 comments | Permalink
Easy Steps for Overcoming Local Opposition
We couldn’t resist this sly commentary on big box development’s approach to fighting local opposition to their stores. This op-ed columnist from the LA Times makes crushing citizens’ groups sound so easy!
How to build whatever you want [Los Angeles Times]
Progress without strategy is regress. Time and again a new Wal-Mart or airport runway that would enable investors to make as much money as they want or consumers to travel twice as often from here to there is stalled by the Taliban mentalities of local resistance. Fortunately for America and its future, a formula exists whose careful application seldom fails. It deserves to be better known. Here it is.
Delay announcing your development for as long as possible. Never underestimate the element of surprise. This is not merely a matter of catching your opponents off-guard. Most people have an entrenched fatalism, as evidenced by the number of lottery tickets they buy. To give the appearance of a fait accompli is to take on the authority of fate. It was bound to happen. Whatcha gonna do?
Never lose an opportunity to outlast your opponents by outspending them. If there’s a formal approval process, do everything in your power to prolong it. Amend your proposal. Reschedule your testimony. The new paradigm of “let them eat cake” is “let them hold a bake sale”—again and again.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Wednesday, September 05 | 1 comments | Permalink
MICHIGAN SITE FIGHT: WAL-MART TO PRESENT REVISED PLANS
Wal-Mart to present revised supercenter plans [Detroit News.com]
Township trustees tonight will reconsider a site plan for the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter at Hall Road and Romeo Plank after asking the company to take another stab at traffic issues, landscaping and other matters.
The Board of Trustees voted Aug. 6 to table the site plan for 30 days to allow Wal-Mart to resolve concerns about the project on nearly 28 acres at the southwest corner of the intersection.
Thomas Kalas, an attorney for the developer, said last week the township has no say in making Wal-Mart pay for road improvements or dictating the hours of operation.
“The (county) road commission has signed off on our plans. They feel it is safe,” Kalas said.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, September 04 | 0 comments | Permalink
ILLINOIS SITE FIGHT: THE LAWSUIT OF MADISON COUNTY
Wal-Mart foes sue Glen Carbon, developers [Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat]
A group of Glen Carbon residents on Tuesday filed a lawsuit asking that a judge stop a planned expansion of the village’s Wal-Mart into a Supercenter.
Walter and Susan Hammill, Leon and Jane Mace and Marcel Brown filed the lawsuit in Madison County.
The suit names the following as defendants: The village of Glen Carbon, THF Glen Carbon Development LLC and THF Glen Carbon Parcel W Development LLC, and members of the village’s Zoning Board of Appeals: Lee Wathan, Terry Hartley, Paul Hanson, Anne Hutson, Jim Grover, Nicholas Karidis and Susan Hagopian.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Wednesday, August 29 | 0 comments | Permalink
MICHIGAN SITE FIGHT: CHANGES TO WAL-MART PLAN
Wal-Mart changes plans for addition [Tri County (Mich.) Times]
Representatives for Wal-Mart want to be ready in the spring to start construction on a grocery addition.
In April, all but one Fenton Planning Commission member approved the project, and allowing the store to be open 18 hours, from 6 a.m. to midnight. A spokesman for Wal-Mart said at the time that plans included beginning construction this September.
Since the July Planning Commission meeting, representatives for Wal-Mart have made some changes in plans, working with planners for the city of Fenton and Fenton Building and Zoning Administrator Brad Hissong. These changes are above and beyond what city officials asked for, Hissong said.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, August 28 | 0 comments | Permalink
Wisconsin To Tax That Smile Right Off Of Wal-Mart’s Face
Wisconsin tax auditors say Wal-Mart Stores owes more than $17 million in back corporate income taxes, interest and penalties for 1998, 1999 and 2000.
But to hear Wal-Mart’s side of the story, a little cheating is nothing if done for the greater good, right? RIGHT?? According to Wal-Mart spokesman and legal-eagle John Simley:
“...anything Wal-Mart can do to lawfully reduce its costs allows the company to pass those savings along through lower prices.”
Awesome.
Well, while the $17+ million that Wal-Mart skipped out on could have gone to fund state schools, after-school programs, or other projects, it will be comforting for Wisconsin students to know that as a result of the scheming their Moms and Dads are now able to buy their cool new trapper-keeper for 30 cents cheaper. Plus, the notebook paper inside said trapper-keeper will come in handy as kindling, once schools run out of money and can no longer afford heat. A win-win in my book. Survivorman would be proud.
Several reports, including our own - you can find others here and here - have spelled out approximately how much Wal-Mart has cost states through the use of schemes such as captive REITs. No, they’re not illegal in EVERY state, but its a little disingenuous to proclaim to want to help your fellow man by providing “every day low prices” (Wal-Mart trademark pending?), then search out every tax break imaginable so you can stick it to John and Joan Q. Public on the other end. And please, please don’t use the “everybody else is doing it, so why can’t we?” defense. Sears and Kohls, among others, have already publically stated that they don’t use the REIT scheme, and even if they did, that wouldn’t make it right.
Anyway, bottom line: Wisconsin says Wal-Mart owes them $17.7 million. Wal-Mart says no we don’t, and if you make us pay we’ll just charge higher prices and be forced to sell even more low-cost lead-based toys then before. The WI Tax Appeals Commission will consider the matter, and then a state court will decide whether the Tax Appeals Commission considered it wrong. Stay tuned…
Wal-Mart owes back taxes, state says [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
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Posted by Corey Himrod on Monday, August 27 | 33 comments | Permalink
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