I hope the people of San Diego, if opposed to having a Wal Mart supercenter in their city, have the time and money to fight them...
Wal Mart won a battle to rezone land near my home last year...even though it was increasingly opposed (without any media coverage at all - I only heard about it thru my free/ind. neighbourhood weekly). They held a public meeting to screen the application to council. They then withdrew their application before it was read...they did this THREE times...and every time, more people showed up at the public meetings, overwhelmingly in opposition...
After the third meeting, the developers spokesman said (wish I could find the actual quote - SO arrogant and bullying) that the people of this 'hood might as well give up, because if the application was denied (the application was a blanket app. to rezone five lots), they would simply apply to rezone each lot individually, hinting that they would also withdraw those app's and drag it out for years...I wonder if that's what they're doing in this Turlock place ("Wal-Mart recently dropped its challenge to the Turlock ordinance").
So they filed the fourth application....the city development board recommended it be refused. Public response was over 75% against. But it passed...they are rezoning 5 lots and closing two roads (this is going to be a traffic nightmare). The kicker is that there is a ton of new residential right behind these lots...one of the lots was zoned for a school.
Wal Mart won a battle to rezone land near my home last year...even though it was increasingly opposed (without any media coverage at all - I only heard about it thru my free/ind. neighbourhood weekly). They held a public meeting to screen the application to council. They then withdrew their application before it was read...they did this THREE times...and every time, more people showed up at the public meetings, overwhelmingly in opposition...
After the third meeting, the developers spokesman said (wish I could find the actual quote - SO arrogant and bullying) that the people of this 'hood might as well give up, because if the application was denied (the application was a blanket app. to rezone five lots), they would simply apply to rezone each lot individually, hinting that they would also withdraw those app's and drag it out for years...)
Boy, your story sounds like the developer's spokesman didn't care if the majority of the community was against Wal-Mart from moving in. Doesn't sound much like democracy, at all. The good thing about the San Diego story is that there are many communities who have fought and won against having Wal-Mart move in. Lake Placid, NY, which isn't far from where I live is one good ending. If we let this corporate giant take over the country it brings all other small business into bankruptcy, and gives the consumer nothing but cheaply made crap. They treat their employees poorly (pay them so cheaply but the med.benefits are so expensive, many have to go for Federal assistance), and the factories over in the Far East that make the products are run poorly and their workers are paid next to nothing, among other things.
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Wal Mart won a battle to rezone land near my home last year...even though it was increasingly opposed (without any media coverage at all - I only heard about it thru my free/ind. neighbourhood weekly). They held a public meeting to screen the application to council. They then withdrew their application before it was read...they did this THREE times...and every time, more people showed up at the public meetings, overwhelmingly in opposition...
After the third meeting, the developers spokesman said (wish I could find the actual quote - SO arrogant and bullying) that the people of this 'hood might as well give up, because if the application was denied (the application was a blanket app. to rezone five lots), they would simply apply to rezone each lot individually, hinting that they would also withdraw those app's and drag it out for years...I wonder if that's what they're doing in this Turlock place ("Wal-Mart recently dropped its challenge to the Turlock ordinance").
So they filed the fourth application....the city development board recommended it be refused. Public response was over 75% against. But it passed...they are rezoning 5 lots and closing two roads (this is going to be a traffic nightmare). The kicker is that there is a ton of new residential right behind these lots...one of the lots was zoned for a school.
Looks like they won't give up on Vancouver either:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2006/07/18/bc-walmart.html
(not sure if anything has happened since July)
Boy, your story sounds like the developer's spokesman didn't care if the majority of the community was against Wal-Mart from moving in. Doesn't sound much like democracy, at all. The good thing about the San Diego story is that there are many communities who have fought and won against having Wal-Mart move in. Lake Placid, NY, which isn't far from where I live is one good ending. If we let this corporate giant take over the country it brings all other small business into bankruptcy, and gives the consumer nothing but cheaply made crap. They treat their employees poorly (pay them so cheaply but the med.benefits are so expensive, many have to go for Federal assistance), and the factories over in the Far East that make the products are run poorly and their workers are paid next to nothing, among other things.
If anything, check out "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price". It's surely an eye-opener. http://www.walmartmovie.com/
Or check out these two major groups that are fighting Wal-Mart.
http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/
http://walmartwatch.com/