Bennington, VT. Wal-Mart Rejected for Incomplete Plans
Wal-Mart permit application incomplete [Associated Press via Boston Globe]
A state land-use permit application filed by a developer hoping to double the size of a Bennington Wal-Mart is incomplete.
District 8 Environmental Coordinator Warren Foster says the Act 250 application, submitted Tuesday, has insufficient or outdated information.
He says the application needs an updated water and sewer allocation letter from the town, confirmation of an application for state wastewater and storm water permits and an updated traffic study.
Ohio-based developer Jonathan Levy, of BLS Bennington, LLC, had been granted several extensions by the Vermont Environmental Court to file the permit application since he won town approval in 2006 to increase the store to 112,000 square feet.
It’s unclear how long it will take to finish the application.
Levy’s Rutland attorney, Alan George, could not be reached for comment.
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, May 12 | 0 comments | Permalink
Bennington, VT. Wal-Mart’s Plans “Substantially Incomplete.”
Wal-Mart is going nowhere fast in Vermont. The state currently has only 4 Wal-Marts, and now that it is trying to expand the ones it has, the company has run into opposition at every turn. Its St. Albans, Vermont store plans are under appeal, and its Bennington, Vermont plans were ruled this week inadequate.
On April 6, 2005, Sprawl-Busters reported that residents in Bennington had voted in a special election to remove a 75,000 s.f. cap on the size of retail buildings. Wal-Mart has had a 52,000 s.f. store in the Monument Plaza in this community of less than 16,000 population since 1995, when the giant retailer moved into an existing mall.
60% of Bennington’s voters did not even go to the polls, so the real winner in Bennington was apathy. The size cap was enacted by Bennington officials in December of 2004, after a three year planning process. The owner of the Wal-Mart project, Redstone Investments, wanted to increase the store to 112,000 s.f. Ironically, when Wal-Mart first came to Bennington, they pledged to the community that they would not need to seek expansion of the store. It’s been more than three years since the Bennington size cap was removed, yet no Wal-Mart expansion has taken place.
Several days ago, the District 8 Environmental Coordinator announced that Redstone’s “Act 250” application was “substantially incomplete.” Act 250 is Vermont’s regional land use planning law, and is considered one of the most thorough such statutes in the nation. It was first enacted in 1971. The state official told the Bennington Banner that developer Jonathan Levy of Ohio, submitted inadequate information in nine areas of the application. “They’re all kind of the same thing — being outdated,” the state official told The Banner “Most of it was prepared in 2005 and today is 2008.”
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Posted by Al Norman on Monday, May 12 | 0 comments | Permalink
New Scotland, NY. Town Passes Six Month Moratorium Under Threat of Big Boxes
New Scotland, New York describes itself as “the best kept secret of Albany County.” This small town, population 8,711, says on its website, “Today, this Jewel continues to charm and allure residents with its rural characteristics, suburban, agricultural and commercial qualities.”
This charm and quiet secret is being disrupted by a developer’s plans to construct a 750,000 s.f. big box mall on a 179 acre farm in one of the town’s 7 villages, Voorheesville, which has only 2,764 people. The goal of New Scotland is to “strive to preserve this beautiful region,” so the big box proposal has become one of the most controversial projects in the history of this community.
The town’s comprehensive land use plan states that residents want commercial enterprises that meet their needs and that the stores not be a regional draw. In other words, residents in the town of New Scotland do not want big-box malls. Recently, the New Scotland planning was asked to impose a six month moratorium on all retail projects in excess of 30,000 s.f. The planning board voted not to support the moratorium, claiming that they did not have enough information about the proposal.
But this week, 500 people packed the Voorheesville High School auditorium as the Town Board voted unanimously to put the moratorium in place. One speaker against the plan told the Board the huge project---which includes an unnamed big box anchor---was “unwarranted, unwanted, and unnecessary.” The Cazenovia, NY.-based developer, Sphere Development, has said the project will not be anchored by a Wal-Mart, and some speculation has turned to Target. But the community could get stuck with either. The plans call for a half-dozen smaller retailers, a Shakespearean amphitheater, farmers market and environmental park. But it was the big box and the scale which created a furor in town.
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Posted by Al Norman on Friday, May 09 | 0 comments | Permalink
North Tonawanda, NY. Wal-Mart Proposal Gets Tabled
Wal-Mart discussion tabled [Tonawanda News (N.Y.)]
About 20 people got up and left after five minutes at Monday night’s planning board meeting when it became clear all discussion of Wal-Mart plans would be tabled pending two future meeting dates.
What began as a highly anticipated forum to discuss a recent environmental impact report — the final environmental impact statement — regarding a controversial bid to open a Wal-Mart Supercenter on the former Melody Fair grounds was sidelined and planners did little but rehash the agendas for two imminent meetings.
Fred Frank, from Wendel Duchscherer, the city’s engineering consultant, took the floor to say that a closed-door summit with the state Department of Transportation has been set for 11 a.m. May 15.
The next regular planning board gathering June 2 will continue what many think represents an uncommon vigilance on the part of planners expecting lawsuits in reaction to the environmental study.
The board could vote on whether to endorse the environmental statement at a special meeting to be held May 12, and contingent upon that, formal adoption of that phase of planning could, after a period for public input, go before the body at their regular meeting June 2.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, May 06 | 0 comments | Permalink
Liverpool, NY. What’s Next?
Wal-Mart: What next for Liverpool? [Syracuse Post-Standard (N.Y.)]
Over the weekend, Wal-Mart announced it was giving up on plans to build a ‘Supercenter’ in Salina, just beyond the borders of Liverpool. Today’s column juxtaposes two reactions to the decision:
Mayor Marlene Ward of Liverpool, a fierce opponent of the proposal for six years, explained why she believes a Wal-Mart would have profoundly damaged her village. Liverpool is already burdened by a crush of commuter traffic, she said, the ‘Supercenter’ would have threatened many small businesses that help to give the village its identity.
Ron Ajemian, one of the owners of the commercially-zoned property on which Wal-Mart hoped to build, said Liverpool is already struggling, and that low prices at Wal-Mart would have helped the people who need it most: Families drowning in bills in a recessionary time of skyrocketing gas prices and collapsing mortgages.
Your thoughts? Was the Wal-Mart decision a victory or defeat in the northern suburbs? Is Ward right when she says Liverpool still maintains the charm of a village, and the ‘Supercenter’ would have been a damaging blow? Is Ajemian, a golf course operator, right when he says local governments have never stepped in to help when other people build nearby golf courses - and that it’s unfair for public officials to pick and choose what they support, at least when they base their opposition on local competition?
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Friday, May 02 | 0 comments | Permalink
Greenport, NY. Wal-Mart Developer Denied Tax Subsidy
It’s more than unseemly that Wal-Mart, the #1 company on the Fortune 500 list, would involve itself in welfare subsidies to build its stores. But that’s become commonplace across the nation, as the world’s largest retailer breaks records for the largest welfare recipient as well. For its store construction program, and its distribution centers, Wal-Mart often tells local officials that unless they get special tax breaks, or financial assistance with infrastructure costs, they will have to take their project to the town next door.
That’s why it’s surprising this week that a Wal-Mart developer put his hand out for a welfare payment in Greenport, New York, only to get it slapped. Wal-Mart already has a discount store in Greenport on Fairview Avenue. That store will close down if the new development happens, and literally move across the street to become a supercenter.
But the Columbia County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) turned down a request from the developer Widewaters, a company that often tangles with the public over its choice of locations for superstore malls. Widewaters is promoting the inappropriately named “Greenport Commons” shopping plaza, and tried to get away with several tax breaks, according to the Hudson Register-Star newspaper. The Greenport Commons is a $73 million project with 565,000 square feet of retail space off Route 9 in northern Greenport.
The IDA unanimously turned down the welfare request. “For me, the determining factor was the need for the project to be unique,” one IDA member told the newspaper. “I don’t think they proved that it will be unique.” Widewaters Group had asked for a property tax break, known as Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT). Under PILOT, the developer’s taxes are “structured” to start low and scale up at the end of a time period to full freight. They also requested an exemption from paying sales tax on construction materials, as well as mortgage recording taxes.
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Posted by Al Norman on Thursday, May 01 | 0 comments | Permalink
Ceres, CA. Wal-Mart Should Pay for Increased Police Force
Make Wal-Mart pay for extra officers [Modesto Bee (Calif.)]
It’s unclear why the city of Ceres didn’t have an adequate general fund for safety personnel. Ceres wouldn’t have been able to hire the required police officers to keep our community safe, according to FBI standards, if Measure H hadn’t passed. Measure H, the half-cent sales tax increase, passed because the safety of citizens, police officers and firefighters is important to our community.
With a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter near Highway 99 that will be open 24-7, Ceres residents can expect an increased need for police, firefighters and other safety personnel at the south end of town. When the economic study for the supercenter comes before the public, possibly in May, I will be interested to learn how the city addresses the needs and costs associated with supplying adequate safety personnel.
Ceres shouldn’t be without coverage, nor have to pay for additional safety personnel required for the supercenter. Will Wal-Mart be asked to mitigate these extra costs, and maybe reduce store hours to prevent crime late at night? This way, the limited funds generated by Measure H will continue to support public safety and Ceres can remain vigilant against gangs and drugs.
LINDA HAWTHORNE
Ceres
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, April 29 | 0 comments | Permalink
Salina, NY. Wal-Mart Drops Plans to Build
Wal-Mart ends plans to build Salina supercenter [WSYR-TV (N.Y.)]
Wal-Mart announced Friday that it has withdrawn plans to build a 204,000 square foot Supercenter in Salina.
Philip H. Serghini, Senior Manager of Wal-Mart Public Affairs said in a statement, “The decision is related to our continued plans to moderate growth of U.S. Supercenters. After re-evaluating the anticipated budget, a determination was made not to move forward with this project.”
Wal-Mart first announced plans to build the Supercenter in Salina (just north of the village of Liverpool) in November 2002.
The proposed location was 37 acres of land on Route 57 between the Thruway and the Liverpool Bypass.
Flying “J” had tried to build a truck stop but was defeated by both the Salina Planning Board and community opposition.
Wal-Mart was proposing building the store at that same location.
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, April 28 | 0 comments | Permalink
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