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Sometimes, Wal-Mart switches sites for its stores--voluntarily, or not, observers say Date published: 7/24/2009
By CLINT SCHEMMER Wal-Mart rarely walks away from a fight. But occasionally, the world's largest retailer can be persuaded to change a controversial policy or decision. Both lessons are clear from other states' and communities' scraps with the $401 billion company over where it builds its stores. Participants in those fights say they apply in Virginia, where the Bentonville, Ark., retailer has spent the past year battling critics of its planned supercenter in the Wilderness battlefield area. Many Fredericksburg-area residents recall how Wal-Mart dug in its heels over the retail center it planned at George Washington's boyhood home in southern Stafford County. "To my knowledge, the Stafford Board of Supervisors never tried to discourage them from building at Ferry Farm," recalls former Fredericksburg mayor Bill Beck. "I think what tipped the balance was when Wal-Mart realized the story had become national news, and it wasn't looking good to people all across the nation. Finally, that sank in." Wal-Mart wound up building its store at an alternative location about a mile east on State Route 3, and the Ferry Farm site was bought by what's now the George Washington Foundation, one of the nation's older preservation groups. Beck said today's tempest over the Wilderness Wal-Mart proposed in Orange County could have a similar outcome, no matter how it looks at the moment. Last week's move by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and House Speaker Bill Howell, who urged Orange and Wal-Mart to pick a site farther from the Wilderness battlefield, "has got to ratchet it up a bit," he said. "Wal-Mart would have to be awfully big for their britches to go against that. So I'm hopeful that will be a turning point." Anchoring a 220,000-square-foot retail center, Wal-Mart's 138,000-square-foot store would be built on a ridge a quarter- mile from Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, which adjoins the intersection of State Routes 3 and 20. At least four Route 3 landowners have offered alternative sites. Yesterday, Wal-Mart's chief spokesman reiterated that no other commercially zoned tract in the area meets its criteria for location and access to Routes 3 and 20.
fatigued also. The unions are happy too! They just don't know
they have to pay for their own health insurance since they are
now the majority owners
"Wal-Mart would have to be awfully big for their britches to
go against that. So I'm hopeful that will be a turning point."
A private company's decision with private land owners gets
public approval from the BOS. "for the sole purpose of
fatiguing them into compliance with his measures"...in the
declaration of independence the King of GB was accused.
Sounds similar to me. The only hope left is to fatigue Wal-
Mart into "compliance?" Scary.
Is it just that the people who live near there don't want Walmart customers in their neighborhood? I don't see a lot of middle class white Americans at Walmart..is that what this is really all about?
So a Target can be built right there without a special use permit and really get the preservationists hopping mad. Yeah, let's move it so we can really stick it to those outspoken folks who are trying to tell us OC'ers what to do. Moving it will not solve the issue, the OC BOS will just approve a bunch of smaller chain stores without needing public opinion on, can't do a thing to stop that from happening. I'd rather have the Wal-Mart than a 20 small chain stores.
The good reason I could think of WalMart building would be to see the route 3 corridor by the mall and Central Krap eased up. It'll be pretty bad when Wegmans and Walmart are the only two retail type stores when Kalahari opens and the rest of Central Krap is all restaurants and hotels because they are the few surviving stores in the Central ghetto. A WalMart can't look any more hideous then the glass building out there by L.O.W. thats hideous Besides you could paint the WalMart Union Blue we Won didn't WE?
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