Skip to content
  • (413) 834-4284
  • [email protected]
  • 21 Grinnell St, Greenfield, Massachusetts
Search
Close
Sprawl-busters
  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Books
    • Movies
    • Home Towns, Not Home Depot
    • The Case Against Sprawl
  • Victories
  • Blog
    • Share Your Battle
  • Contact
Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Books
    • Movies
    • Home Towns, Not Home Depot
    • The Case Against Sprawl
  • Victories
  • Blog
    • Share Your Battle
  • Contact
  • Uncategorized

After 2 Years In Court, Wal-Mart Starts Controversial Project

  • Al Norman
  • June 12, 2016
  • No Comments

After two years of court battles, and vigorous community opposition, a Wal-Mart is being built in a small Michigan town that does not need the store at all.

Sprawl-Busters first reported on a Wal-Mart battle in Whitehall, Michigan in April of 2013, roughly three years ago. Opponents charged that a 126,000 s.f. Wal-Mart superstore was a ‘shopping center,’ but the developer and the township’s zoning administrator said it was a ‘retail store.’ Whether or not the project happened hinged on how this superstore was defined.

This tiny township of 2,700 people clearly had no need for a superstore, because Wal-Mart already has two superstores within 17 miles.

According to mlive.com, Wal-Mart had 30 acres of land that was zoned “business,” which allows general retail stores as a permitted use. A group called BOW NOT, which stands for “Back Off Wal-Mart — Not Our Town,” retained an attorney out of Traverse City, Michigan, named Scott Howard. BOW NOT’s attorney argued that the Wal-Mart was a “shopping center” under the township ordinance, which is defined as “A group of commercial establishments, planned, developed, owned and managed as one unit, with off-street parking provided on the property.”

Attorney Howard said that Wal-Mart had multiple businesses within the proposed store plus three “out lots” for other businesses, so the project is a “group of commercial establishments,” and Wal-Mart owns the entire parcel. The plans also has its own off-street parking lot of 505 cars.

In August of 2013, the Whitehall Township Planning Commission voted 5-0 with two abstentions to approve a site plan for a 126,000-square-foot ???superstore??? on 30.35 acres. BOW NOT Opponents promised that the vote was the beginning of a long battle to block the retail development.

Neighbors argued that the project would result in light pollution from the development’s lights, the possibility of increased crime, a change in the nearby neighborhoods’ rural and residential character, a change in Whitehall’s small-town character with its “unique, local stores,” an effect on wildlife and plants on their property and loss of property value.

This week Mlive.com reports that construction of the new Wal-Mart Superstore in Whitehall Township began on May 25, with an opening scheduled for the summer of 2017. The director of the White Lake Chamber of Commerce is urging the community to begin planning for life with Wal-Mart.

The Wal-Mart controversy was in the court system for roughly two years. The Michigan Court of Appeals declined to hear an appeal of a Muskegon judge’s August 2014 decision upholding Whitehall Township’s approval on Feb. 10, 2015. The Michigan Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a site plan for a Wal-Mart superstore in Whitehall Township on Sept. 9, 2015.

Back in 2013, when the township approved the store, BOW NOT promised a protracted legal fight. ???We will go to court to fight Wal-Mart and I expect this fight to go on for years,??? on BOW NOT supporter told planning commissioners. ???Every year without a Wal-Mart is a victory.???

In September of 2015, Sprawl-Busters reported that despite the decision by the Michigan Supreme Court to deny an appeal filed against Whitehall Township residents, BOWNOT members said the opposition to Wal-Mart will continue. ???We believe the lower courts made critical errors that should have been heard and considered by the Michigan Supreme Court,??? said Dave Frederick, chair of BOWNOT. ???We understand that this decision could mean the end of litigation, but we will continue to oppose the building of a Supercenter here,??? said Frederick.

According to BOWNOT, thousands of community members have demonstrated their opposition to Wal-Mart by contributing over $65,000, which has been spent for educational and promotional materials and for litigation expenses. More than 4,000 people signed petitions opposing Wal-Mart and pledging not to shop at a Wal-Mart store.

Those shoppers now have their chance to boycott the store, and force it to close from underperformance.

To see more about the battle in Whitehall, go to:

https://www.facebook.com/KeepWalMartOutOfWhitehallAndMontague/

After two years of court battles, and vigorous community opposition, a Wal-Mart is being built in a small Michigan town that does not need the store at all.

Like this article?

Share on facebook
Share on Facebook
Share on twitter
Share on Twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on Linkdin
Share on pinterest
Share on Pinterest
Al Norman

Al Norman

Al Norman first achieved national attention in October of 1993 when he successfully stopped Wal-Mart from locating in his hometown of Greenfield, Massachusetts. Almost 3 decades later they is still not Wal-Mart in Greenfield. Norman has appeared on 60 Minutes, was featured in three films, wrote 3 books about Wal-Mart, and gained widespread media attention from the Wall Street Journal to Fortune magazine. Al has traveled throughout the U.S., Barbados, Puerto Rico, Ireland, and Japan, helping dozens of local coalitions fight off unwanted sprawl development. 60 Minutes called Al “the guru of the anti-Wal-Mart movement.”

Leave a comment

Find Us

  • 21 Grinnell St, Greenfield, MA
  • (413) 834-4284
  • [email protected]

Helpful Links

  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
Menu
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Recent Posts

CHRISTIAN SMALLS, FIRED AMZN WAREHOUSE WORKER, FILES RACE DISCRIMATION LAWSUIT. …

November 16, 2020

DUE TO THE SURGE IN CORONA CASES, WMT IS LIMITING SHOPPERS TO 5 PER 1,000 SF. A…

November 16, 2020

AMAZON RECENTLY ANNOUNCED FREE 1 HOUR GROCERY PICK UP FOR PRIME MEMBER ORDERS &g…

November 15, 2020

AFTER BEING REJECTED BY THE DEERFIELD, MA PLANNING BOARD, DOLLAR GENERAL APPEALS…

November 15, 2020

WILL TRUMP ALLOW ORACLE & WALMART TO INVEST IN TIK TOK? The deadline to ban …

November 14, 2020

AMAZON ACCUSED OF BREAKING ANTITRUST RULES IN EUROPE. “Data of 3rd-party sellers…

November 14, 2020

WALMART PET CARE NOW SELLING PET INSURANCE. My 3 year old mixed breed cat would …

November 13, 2020

WALMART’S GOING TO THE DOGS. 90 M OF ITS CUSTOMERS HAVE DOGS. You’d be Goofy not…

November 13, 2020

WALMART CASHIERS STILL LOOKING FOR A SEAT. They won a $65 M lawsuit in 2019, but…

November 12, 2020

4 DAYS BEFORE THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION,THE CO-FOUNDER OF HOME DEPOT SAID: “Pres…

November 12, 2020

Recent Tweets

Al Norman 1 hour ago

“40 Million s.f. of additional warehouse space will be needed in the next 5 years” in Canada. “Retailers are rushing to build logistics hubs to fulfill orders...Every retailer knows they have to have a digital presence to survive.” We need to cap the size of this sprawl now! https://t.co/d4BTb4p1TI

Read More
Al Norman 2 hours ago

“NORMAN EXPLAINED that the big boxes could shift to opening warehouses...designed to ship out online orders, so ‘any zoning code should be changed to include the definition of warehouses.’” Lots of trucks, no shoppers, $15/hr jobs.(paywall) https://t.co/3etw7HKIyA

Read More
Al Norman 1 day ago

WMT has a “mediocre track record” in its international division..For years it downplayed e-commerce, allowing AMZN to take a commanding position... the biggest driving force for WMT to focus more & more...is its critical battle with Amazon.” https://t.co/Gc36hsH2RW

Read More

Ⓒ 2020 - All Rights Are Reserved

Design and Development by Just Peachy Web Design

Download Our Free Guide

Download our Free Guide

Learn How To Stop Big Box Stores And Fulfillment Warehouses In Your Community

The strategies written here were produced by Sprawl-Busters in 2006 at the request of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), mainly for citizen groups that were fighting Walmart. But the tips for fighting unwanted development apply to any project—whether its fighting Dollar General, an Amazon warehouse, or a Home Depot.

Big projects, or small, these BATTLEMART TIPS will help you better understand what you are up against, and how to win your battle.