Lockport, NY: Wal-Mart Delayed Again

Action again delayed on permits for Wal-Mart

LOCKPORT — There is another delay in action on permits needed for Wal- Mart to construct its supercenter project at the Lockport Mall site on South Transit Road.

Town Attorney Daniel E. Seaman said Wednesday that a special Planning Board meeting set for next Thursday to vote on the project has been canceled. Town Planner Andrew C. Reilly of the Wendel Duchscherer firm has a meeting in another town that night.

Seaman said another date for a special Planning Board meeting is being discussed. The delay means the Zoning Board of Appeals will not be able to act on Wal-Mart’s variance requests at its session Oct. 30, so the soonest final approval of the supercenter project can come is late November.

Posted by Andrew Yonki on Thursday, October 18 | 0 comments | Permalink

Tonawanda, NY: The Great Wal-Mart Divide

NORTH TONAWANDA: The Wal-Mart Divide

The city code lists the capacity for North Tonawanda’s Common Council chambers at 92 people. Tuesday night’s council meeting really pushed those boundaries, and likely exceeded them, as Wal-Mart was on the minds of many city residents.

Both supporters and opponents of the proposed North Tonawanda Wal-Mart supercenter were on hand Tuesday night to comment on the hotly-debated store.

Supporters seemed to outnumber opponents of the store during the public comment period. There was a support rally for the supercenter prior to the meeting, held by the Lumber City Liaisons for Wal-Mart at the Knights of Columbus hall on Erie Avenue.

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Posted by Andrew Yonki on Thursday, October 18 | 0 comments | Permalink

Wal-Mart: America’s Tax Deadbeat

This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post.

A report released this week by the non-profit group Good Jobs First, concludes that Wal-Mart methodically works to lower its taxes by challenging the assessed value of its stores and distribution centers. Just as the company has become legendary for shaking down its vendors---so the retailer shakes down cities and towns for tax rebates.

The nonpartisan research center in Washington, D.C. documented in an earlier study how Wal-Mart has benefited from billions of dollars in public subsidies to build its stores and site infrastructure. Their new analysis, Rolling Back Property Tax Payments, charges that although the financial take is not as large as its public welfare subsidies---Wal-Mart “drains vitally needed funds from communities by regularly challenging the valuation put on its properties by public officials.” According to Philip Mattera, research director of Good Jobs First, “When the company succeeds in one of these challenges, it diminishes the funds available to pay for education, police and fire protection, and other essential services provided by local governments.”

Good Jobs First reviewed a national sample of Wal-Mart stores and all of its distribution centers open as of the beginning of 2005. Wal-Mart has filed assessment challenges at more than one-third of its facilities around the country. At many facilities there have been appeals in multiple years. Overall, Good Jobs First estimates that Wal-Mart filed more than 2,100 property tax challenges nationwide. “These systematic property tax challenges are part of a larger pattern of state and local tax avoidance by Wal-Mart,” Mattera explained.

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Posted by Al Norman on Tuesday, October 16 | 23 comments | Permalink

Buffalo, NY- Wal-Mart comes to Abrupt End

Rezoning bid for Wal-Mart dropped in Alden
Town Planning Board had earlier voted against the proposal

The Wal-Mart saga in Alden came to an unexpected end Monday night. At least it seemed to.

During the communications session of the Town Board meeting, Supervisor Ronald L. Smith read an letter addressed to Town Clerk Dorothy Bycina from proposed Wal- Mart developer Frank Russo.

The letter stated that Russo was withdrawing, in its entirety, the requested rezoning of the property on Four Rod and Broadway where he had hoped to build a Wal-Mart.

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Posted by Andrew Yonki on Tuesday, October 16 | 0 comments | Permalink

Ramapo, NY- Wal-Mart Review stuck in the Sewer

Ramapo Wal-Mart still needs traffic, sewer solutions

RAMAPO - Traffic and sewer issues arising over a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter in Monsey remain to be resolved before town planners resume their review of the project.

Since the Planning Board voted 5-1 in August against accepting a proposed environmental impact statement offered by the developer, the town has been awaiting revisions to the plan.

The developer will have to first bring the new proposals to the Community Design and Review Board, which advises the Planning Board, before getting back onto the latter’s agenda, Richard Ackerson, deputy town attorney for building, planning and zoning, said Friday.

No date had yet been set for the meeting with the advisory group, Ackerson said.

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Posted by Andrew Yonki on Monday, October 15 | 0 comments | Permalink

Candidates Wrestle over Wal-Mart

Candidates Night Centers Around Big Boxes

BELFAST (Oct 12): The debate over big-box stores has dominated Belfast politics for the past seven years, and it was the focus of much of the Candidates Night discussion Tuesday night at City Hall.

Candidates for the Wards 3 and 4 council seats and the mayor’s position were asked numerous questions from members of the public — from: “Would you reach out to Wal-Mart?” to “Would you vote to eliminate the Special Commercial District on the East Side?” The two-and-a-half hour event was sponsored by the Republican Journal.

The answers were more revealing about individual candidates than about potential alliances the seven participants might form if elected Nov. 6.

Ward 4 candidate Jan Anderson, for example, said she would work to restore the right of citizens to make decisions on zoning issues by referendum, and would like more participation by the people in zoning deliberations.

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Posted by Andrew Yonki on Friday, October 12 | 0 comments | Permalink

Jamestown, NY. Wal-Mart Sues for Lower Tax Assessment

Wal-Mart Sues For Lower Tax Assessment [Jamestown Post-Journal (NY)]

Wal-Mart is suing the town of Busti over its property assessment, in what Randy Holcomb, Busti assessor, says is a common occurrence for the retailer.

The store is seeking an assessment of $6 million, citing Holcomb’s $11.5 million assessment as incorrect.

‘‘Wal-Mart typically does this with their stores, and it’s not uncommon to see this with many of the Wal-Mart stores across the state,’’ Holcomb said. ‘‘They did this to the town of Busti about 10 years ago, but an agreement was reached.’’

According to Holcomb, the entire town of Busti was reassessed, and Wal-Mart was earmarked at $11.5 million. The property assessment includes the store itself, parking lot and land owned by the company — though it doesn’t include the businesses sharing the plaza, such as Applebee’s or the Dollar General plaza.

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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Thursday, October 11 | 0 comments | Permalink