There have been a number of articles over the past few days about citizens fighting to stop Wal-Mart from destroying their way of life. Here are a few from around the country:
About 150 people gathered Thursday night to watch the city's Planning Commission unanimously recommend against a rezoning request that would allow Wal-Mart to build near the city's southern gateway.One by one, commission members said Wal-Mart's request to rezone land in the Osage Ranch subdivision to general commercial was out of whack with the city's comprehensive plan. The plan calls for low- to moderate-density residential development in that area.
The announcement was made Friday that the Wal-Mart Corporation has plans to open a supercenter in Craig, and by Monday morning Cris Criswell was circulating a petition in opposition.The fifth-generation Moffat County native doesn't know whether he'll be able to stop plans he think will severely affect existing businesses, but he's going to try.
"I just think it's really, really bad for the community," Criswell said. "I think it'll wreck a lot of stores. I think the downtown area will be just a ghost town if Wal-Mart comes to town."
Stymied in previous efforts to block plans for a Wal-Mart, neighbors hope to use a recent state Court of Appeal ruling and new environmental studies to derail the controversial project.Residents fear the 156,000-square-foot store proposed for Nordhoff Street and Tampa Avenue - across from Northridge Fashion Center - will trigger massive traffic jams in an already congested area and put some retailers out of business.
Critics also note that Wal-Mart already operates three stores within seven miles of the site and question the need for another.
To learn more about what your community can do to keep your community "Wal-Mart Free," visit our "Community Fights" section:
Posted by Brendan - August 23, 2005 09:54 AM - In Your Community