CALIFORNIA SITE FIGHTS: CONCERNS ABOUND
Wal-Mart buys lot in Carlsbad [North County (Calif.) Times]
CARLSBAD ---- Wal-Mart has purchased a 17-acre site at College Boulevard and El Camino Real in Carlsbad and hopes to build its most upscale store in the nation there, according to a company spokesman.
“It will be an absolute paradigm shift,” said Wal-Mart spokesman Aaron Rios in an interview Thursday evening.
Wal-Mart, which has long sought entry into Carlsbad, recognizes that if it succeeds in building a store in the affluent, carefully planned community, it could not be a typical “big box” store, Rios said.
“We believe the community of Carlsbad would say, ‘That’s not for us,’ “ he said.
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Friday, July 20 | 0 comments | Permalink
CALIFORNIA SITE FIGHTS: CONCERNS ABOUND
24-hour Wal-Mart plan raises concerns [Orange County (Calif.) Register]
GARDEN GROVE – About 100 people flocked to a public hearing held by the city Planning Commission Thursday night to gather opinions about the proposed two-story, 24-hour Wal-Mart Supercenter on Chapman Avenue.
Out of the 16 people who spoke during the hearing, only three said they support of the 173,000-square-foot store, which would be a supermarket and department store rolled into one. Fourteen others who did not speak submitted cards that stated they are opposed to the development. Tonight’s hearing was also an opportunity for people to comment on the project’s environmental impact report released by the city June 15, which basically stated that the development would have minimal impact on the environment and local businesses.
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Friday, July 20 | 0 comments | Permalink
San Diego: Did Frye Really Flip?
Councilwoman Donna Frye shocked a city when she flipped her vote and allowed Mayor Jerry Sanders’s veto of the City Council’s big-box ban to stand. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, appearances may be deceiving.
Column: Frye turns Wal-Mart’s lemon into lemonade [San Diego Union-Tribune]
A bouquet – the Wholesale Power to the People award – to San Diego Councilwoman Donna Frye for turning a legislative lemon – a citywide ban on Wal-Mart Supercenters – into a coup for herself as well as her populist style of politics.
By reversing her vote, and thus allowing Mayor Jerry Sanders’ veto of the ban to stand, Frye spared her labor allies from a bruising, and probably losing, battle at the ‘08 ballot box.
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Posted by Corey Himrod on Monday, July 16 | 7 comments | Permalink
HAWAII SITE FIGHT: WAL-MART SAYS IT WILL FIGHT FOR EXPANSION
Wal-Mart says it will fight for Kauai expansion [Honolulu Star-Bulletin]
Wal-Mart Stores said yesterday it is plowing forward with plans to build its first superstore on Kauai despite a new law on the Garden Isle banning big-box stores.
In May, the Kauai County Council passed a law prohibiting any retail or wholesale store larger than 75,000 square feet—the first ban of its kind in the state.
But Wal-Mart Stores says it had already won the county’s legal approval of the existing Lihue Wal-Mart’s expansion long before the new ban went into effect. Therefore, the county should not be able to withdraw that approval.
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Monday, July 16 | 0 comments | Permalink
CALIFORNIA SITE FIGHTS: LEMONS, LEMONADE
Wal-Mart restraints sought in Ventura [Ventura County (Calif.) Star]
Wal-Mart’s desire to build a store in Ventura faces stiffening opposition as a grass-roots group is urging city leaders to pass an ordinance controlling big-box development and vowing to press the issue during this fall’s city election.
A recent poll found many Ventura residents — 62 percent — opposed Wal-Mart opening a store along the busy Victoria Avenue corridor. Nearly 75 percent supported strengthening the rules on where big-big retailers could locate in the city, according to Livable Ventura, a group that includes members of the former Stop Ventura Wal-Mart Coalition.
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Monday, July 16 | 0 comments | Permalink
Independent America: Life Without the Big Box
In 2005, two reporters set out to drive across America in search of Mom-and-Pop stores. Unlike those who have gone before them, this dynamic duo avoided Wal-Marts, chain hotels and side-of-the-road fast food joints in hopes of gaining a better understanding of how Small Town America is reacting to changing economic situations, and what people are doing about it.
From YouTube:
Visit http://www.independentamerica.net/ for more, and be sure to catch the movie on the Sundance Channel on July 30th.
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, July 16 | 0 comments | Permalink
HAWAII SITE FIGHT: WAL-MART EXPANSION?
Wal-Mart claims it is permitted to expand [The Garden Island (Hawaii)]
Wal-Mart’s request to expand its Lihu‘e store may test a law the Kaua‘i County Council recently passed limiting “big box” retail and wholesale stores to 75,000 square feet.
During a meeting at the Lihu‘e Civic Center Tuesday, the Kaua‘i County Planning Commission received a request from Wal-Mart to modify permits another planning commission approved in 1994 to increase the store from 120,000 square feet to 185,000 square feet and to increase the number of parking spaces.
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Friday, July 13 | 0 comments | Permalink
OREGON SITE FIGHT: SANDY NOT A TARGET - FOR NOW
Wal-Mart not targeting Sandy, yet [Sandy (Ore.) Post]
Retail giant Wal-Mart hinted that it had other options to open an East Metro-area location after the company decided to abandon building a store at Southeast 182nd Avenue and Powell Boulevard in Gresham. Local residents, including Mayor Linda Malone, fear that the “big box” store is eyeing Sandy, but Wal-Mart officials say the company hasn’t thought too hard about its next move.
“We’re interested in that greater area,” said Jennifer Holder, Wal-Mart spokeswoman, “but we haven’t made any plans (for Sandy) at this time. We’ll be looking into that greater area, but we haven’t started that process yet.”
Posted by Beth Gostanian on Friday, July 13 | 0 comments | Permalink
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