TIAA-CREF Asked This Week To Make Wal-Mart Ethical
January 31, 2006
On Thursday, February 2nd, Sprawl-Busters will be part of a delegation meeting with representatives from the huge pension fund TIAA-CREF, to urge the fund to
January 2006
Preserved Farm To Get Home Depot As Neighbor?
January 29, 2006
The city of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, which calls itself “the birthplace of the tomato”, may end up with fruit on its face if Home Depot gets
Neighbors Reject Developer’s Hush Money For Lowe’s
January 29, 2006
Not everything is for sale. That’s a hard lesson for developers to learn, but for some people a 166,000 s.f. Lowe’s store in their backyards
Local Stores Better for Economy Than Retail Chains
January 29, 2006
A new economic impact study from the north side of Chicago, Illinois says that local businesses produce enhanced economic impacts when compared with their chain
Arts Group Rejects Home Depot Contribution.
January 29, 2006
On January 25, 2006, a resident’s group in Coconut Grove, a distinctive village in Miami, Florida, sent a sharply-worded letter to The Coconut Grove Arts
Moratorium ‘Breaks The Wal-Mart Mold.’
January 29, 2006
Wal-Mart is going nowhere fast in the city of Ventura, California, following the recent vote by officials to enact a one year moratorium on retail
Wal-Mart Opens in Little Norway
January 28, 2006
Sprawl-Busters wrote on August 1, 2003, that the city council, by one vote, had approved a Wal-Mart supercenter for the community of Poulsbo, Washington, known
Citizen Appeals Tie Up Three Wal-Marts
January 26, 2006
Remember the good old days when it was easy to shove a 200,000 s.f. Wal-Mart down a community’s throat? Nowadays, developers have to go through
Residents Angered By Wal-Mart’s Proximity to Wildlife Refuge
January 25, 2006
One thing is certain: Wal-Mart is not an endangered species, and the giant retailer doesn’t seem to worry too much about species that are. Residents
Planners Want Wal-Mart To Make Their Store Smaller
January 25, 2006
Size matters. A citizen’s Coalition has formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado to prevent the construction of a 207,000 s.f. Wal-Mart Supercenter, and they’re getting some
Aldermen Fear Wal-Mart Will Leave Downtown Behind.
January 24, 2006
The Canton, Illinois planning and zoning board fell all over themselves this week, drooling over the prospect of a Wal-Mart supercenter. The 33 acres of
Home Depot Gets Gas
January 24, 2006
Not to be undone by other discount retailers like Wal-Mart, Home Depot has announced at a meeting with investors recently that the company plans to
City Braces For Battle Over Fifth Wal-Mart
January 23, 2006
The city of Spokane, Washington already has 4 Wal-Marts within its borders — two discount stores, and two supercenters. Even Wal-Mart addicts have enough places
Home Depot Founders Put Up Money To Nail Eliot Spitzer
January 23, 2006
“You can do it, we can help.” Home Depot’s slogan should serve well as the campaign slogan for Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, who wants
Call TIAA-CREF To Make Wal-Mart Socially Responsible
January 22, 2006
Sprawl-Busters, as part of The Make TIAA-CREF coalition, is asking everyone to make a toll-free call between January 23rd and January 25th. to the head
Wal-Mart’s Health Care In Reverse
January 22, 2006
While the national headlines focus on efforts across the country to force Wal-Mart to pay more for its workers’ health insurance, an obscure story in
Wal-Mart Leaves As Deal Unravels
January 22, 2006
Wal-Mart has reportedly spent six years trying to find a place to build in Escondido, California. But its most recent plans to build a 140,000
Wal-Mart Would Displace 54 Families From Their Homes
January 21, 2006
If a Wal-Mart supercenter gets a home in West Asheville, North Carolina, dozens of local families will lose theirs. The following story was sent to
Small Town Beats Big Box Lowe’s.
January 21, 2006
The Lowe’s real estate people are going to have to look for one more site this week, because their prime location in Westlake Village has
Six Years Of Fighting Big Boxes Finally Pays Off.
January 20, 2006
It’s just about official now. A developer in Lower Makefield, Pennsylvania has apparently agreed in writing, after years of citizen pressure, to drop their big
Wal-Mart Plan Rejected.
January 20, 2006
Chalk up another victory against unbridled sprawl. The Nashua Planning Board voted 4-3 last night to live free or die without Wal-Mart. The retailer wanted
New Wal-Mart Creates Dead Wal-Mart
January 20, 2006
Gain one, lose one. That’s what happened this week in Columbia, Missouri, the state that Sam Walton loved to boast had been saturated with Wal-Marts.
Home Depot Wants 400-500 New Stores–Activists Want To Stop Them
January 19, 2006
If you don’t already have a Home Depot where you live, hold the phone. The world’s largest home improvement store, the second largest retailer in
Labor Department Ends Special Deal With Wal-Mart.
January 19, 2006
Ready or not, here they come. Child-labor law enforcers from the U.S. Department of Labor are no longer going to give Wal-Mart 15 days advance
Wal-Mart, Home Depot Fail to Pay Environmental Taxes
January 19, 2006
Ever hear of a multi-billionaire tax delinquent? The state of California is chasing down a couple of deadbeat corporations that have failed to pay years
Citizens Organize Recall Effort In Four Languages
January 19, 2006
Many citizens in Rosemead, California want to get rid of their Mayor, who has been a cheerleader for a Wal-Mart supercenter. Citizens have already removed
Town Changes Zoning To Block Wal-Mart
January 18, 2006
Wal-Mart’s first steps into Amherst, New York were not very auspicious. Town officials have begun efforts to push the project right out of town. Here’s
Wal-Mart Finds Haven in Grand Haven
January 18, 2006
Local citizens in Grand Haven, Michigan are getting a full dose of the Wal-Mart hustle, as township officials and the retailer gang up to push
Wal-Mart Folds Its Tent And Leaves
January 17, 2006
Unlike big boxes, citizen victories over big boxes come in all shapes and forms. In Northridge, California, about 20 miles from Los Angeles, residents are
Pension Fund Asked To Pressure Wal-Mart, Costco To Behave Ethically
January 16, 2006
One large Wal-Mart investor is being asked to help reform the retailer’s anti-community policies. On February 2, 2006, in New York City, a “responsible investing”
Thought of New Home Depot is Unpleasant
January 15, 2006
Many residents in Pleasanton, California find the thought of another huge Home Depot store in their community an unpleasant idea. Plans for a Home Depot
Activists Win Fair Share Health Override in Maryland
January 14, 2006
The Governor of Maryland and Wal-Mart were the big losers this week, when the Maryland state legislature voted to override the Governor’s veto of a
Wal-Mart Somehow ‘Missed’ Wetlands
January 14, 2006
Wal-Mart, which prides itself on its state-of-the-art technology in product delivery and inventory, somehow failed to inventory the existence of wetlands on the parcel it
Wal-Mart Wants Store In Floodplain
January 12, 2006
Put on your hip boots, shoppers. Wal-Mart wants to build a supercenterin the floodplains of Amherst, New York, and the residents think the plan is
The Sun Sets On Home Depot’s Plans
January 12, 2006
Plans to build a Home Depot in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida has sunk below the horizon this week. Angry residents, who
Residents Want Right To Vote On Wal-Mart
January 11, 2006
Sprawl-Busters reported on September 20, 2005, that residents in Fairfax, Ohio had formed a group, Fairfax First, to stop the development of a proposed 200,000
Several Towns Push For Size Limits on Superstores
January 11, 2006
Damariscotta, Maine is described by the region’s Chamber of Commerce as “your doorway to classic Maine.” Local residents along Route 1 in mid-coast Maine want
Wal-Mart Worst Spot For Police Calls 4 Years Straight
January 11, 2006
It’s official. The results are in. For the fourth year straight, Wal-Mart has won the top spot as the crime magnet in Tucson, Arizona. The
Residents Battling Wal-Mart Supercenter
January 8, 2006
Sprawl-Busters has received the following update report from residents in the town of Cortland, New York: “We have a very active citizens’ group, Citizens for
Developer Spent $90,000 To Lose A Vote
January 8, 2006
Money can buy many things — but not always an election. Big box developers rely on money — and more money — as their main
Parish Ignores Hundreds of Wal-Mart Opponents
January 8, 2006
The St. Tammany Parish Council had to ignore the pleas of more than 300 Covington, Louisiana residents last week when they voted to support construction
County Sues County Over Wal-Mart Distribution Center
January 8, 2006
Two counties are locked in a legal battle over a Wal-Mart distribution center four times larger than one of their supercenters. Approval by the Putnam
Wal-Mart Chairman Helping To Evict Tribal Peoples
January 5, 2006
S. Robson Walton, the son of Sam, is the Chairman of the Wal-Mart Board of Directors. He has served on the Wal-Mart Board for 28
Wal-Mart Approval Overturned By Court
January 5, 2006
Now you see it, now you don’t. Officials in Lodi, California had their plans turned upside down just before Xmas, when a San Joaquin County
Officials Worry Over Wal-Mart’s ‘Dark Stores’
January 4, 2006
Sprawl-Busters has been writing about Wal-Mart abandoned stores for six years now, and the media is starting to get the picture. At most points in
Another ‘Lunch Break’ Class Action Against Wal-Mart
January 4, 2006
Wal-Mart gets sent to the back of the class — again. A judge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ruled n December 27th that Wal-Mart workers who charge
Home Depot Plan Attracts Opposition
January 4, 2006
There is already a Home Depot less than 10 minutes away, but the Atlanta-based retailer continues its plans to saturate the area surrounding the town
Home Depot Slam-Dunked In First Hearing
January 4, 2006
There was very little doubt about how the Planning Commission in Newark, Delaware felt about Home Depot’s plans to build a large store in this
Voters Seek To Recall Pro Wal-Mart Politicians
January 2, 2006
In Rosemead, California, a vote for Wal-Mart can be a political swan song. Last May, Sprawl-Buster’s reported that residents in the city of Rosemead had
Fair Share Health Care Bill To Be Heard This Month
January 1, 2006
Lawmakers in New Hampshire will take up legislation this month that requires large corporations to pay their fair share of health care costs for their