I found this letter from a Mayor to his town about some allegations Wal-Mart has lobbed at him as they try to strong-arm their way in to his town. It is an interesting look in to how Wal-Mart deals with cities and towns that we don't normally see. It was published in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin:
So I read in a recent newspaper article that I refused to meet with representatives of Wal-Mart to discuss the Promenade project in Fontana. I'm a pretty unreasonable person. Pigheaded, some might even say. But what John Mendez, the latest spokesperson for Wal-Mart, failed to share was that I informed him I don't meet with companies threatening litigation against the city. And, if I'm not mistaken, Mendez has been quoted in local newspapers as saying the company will enforce its property rights.Your company's representative at all City Council meetings was not an architect or a professional planner, it was your attorney. So forgive me if my litigation detector isn't pegged with Wal-Mart not getting its way in the Promenade.
What you also failed to mention in the newspaper article (or to any of the paid employees who attended our City Council meeting) was that I have met with Wal-Mart or its representatives no fewer than five times over the past several years, imploring your company to work with our community and council to develop where it makes sense to our community and to Wal-Mart. You purchased the Promenade property after we had already initiated the Specific Plan process and after we had already begun talking about a walkable, mixed-use development. Come to think of it, you also purchased your site in south Fontana against the advice and opinions of city officials, after a Specific Plan for the area had already been completed.
Am I seeing a trend here? Does the $200 billion gorilla simply march into every jungle and get its way?
But I digressWhen your company asked for a continuance two months ago, you stated that you had a dramatic proposal that would fit in with the vision of the City Council that would fit the mold of a pedestrian friendly shopping, theater, and restaurant experience at the gateway to Fontana off the 210 Freeway. An experience that wasn't going to be a sea of parking, that would promote the lifestyle center development trends that have proven so successful in many communities. And after granting the continuance, you bring forth a proposal that is twice the size of the maximum building size allowed in the specific plan, with a sea of 1,200-plus parking spaces in front of your "downsized" super-duper, almost-larger-than-a-middle-school Super Wal-Mart. You then have the audacity to "present" 5,000 signed cards from residents stating that they want to save $2,500 on their groceries duh! I want to save $2,500 on my groceries. But I'm not willing to sell the vision of this community down the road simply because Wal-Mart isn't willing to move to another viable site.
But here's where it gets really offensive: There are representatives of Wal-Mart implying that if the city accepts the store in the south Fontana location, then the company will move the store in the north.
Sounds a lot like extortion to me, and I'm not willing to sacrifice the quality of life of my residents in the southern end of town to realize the vision in the north.
So here's my advice: You want to know what I want? Read the Specific Plans for the Promenade and the Empire Center projects.
Take a gorilla-size Q-tip from aisle 55, clean out your ears, and re-watch the numerous council meetings and State of the City addresses where the vision for Fontana has been presented.
And please stop the push-polling and threatening of political activism. Clearly, you didn't do your homework when you decided to land in this jungle. We've dealt with beasts far more menacing than you in the past.
Mark Nuaimi is the mayor of Fontana.
Posted by Taylor - March 20, 2008 10:18 AM - In Your Community