This is the story of a very large bait-and-switch tactic that exchanged apple blossoms for a supercenter. Sprawl-Busters has received the following update on citizen
Walmartopia The Musical! — direct from Madison , Wisconsin — opens its New York premiere today, as part of the 2006 New York International Fringe
On July 6 2006, Sprawl-Busters related the efforts of citizens in Atascadero, California to keep a Wal-Mart supercenter at bay. In response to resident efforts,
On December 9, 2004, Sprawl-Busters reported that a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter had been rejected in Sarasota, Florida. We noted that County Commissioners used their discretionary
Roughly two weeks ago, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. announced it was giving $5 million to The National Urban League, an organization devoted to empowering African Americans
Tom Coughlin, the former Vice Chairman of Wal-Mart’s board of directors, and the man often at CEO Lee Scott’s right hand during the company’s Saturday
When Victor Good bought some hurricane shutters at Home Depot in Palm Coast, Florida, he probably did not know he was buying a can of
Katoria Lee, 35, who works for the Ford Motor Company, stopped off at a Wal-Mart store in Riverdale, Georgia on March 8, 2001, and picked
The City Council in Davis, California wants the voters to tell them what to do about a huge, sprawling Target store. On November 7, 2006,
After years of trying to push itself on this small community, and two losses, it appears that Wal-Mart has finally thrown in the cards in
With ten years in between loses, Wal-Mart is now a two-time loser in the city of Beaverton, Oregon. Sprawl-Busters reported in October of 2005, that
Many elected officials want Wal-Mart to come to their town because their planners have told them that this is how you solve a city’s financial
It helps enormously when fighting enormous developments to have deep pockets. Most developers, by definition, have plenty of cash, and most citizen groups hold bake
A citizens group called South East Aurora Quality of Life (SEAQOL, Inc) has sued the city of Aurora, Colorado for allowing a Wal-Mart to be
Cumberland County, North Carolina already has five Wal-Mart supercenters, but the area was spared its sixth sprawling outlet because of leaking gas. The Fayetteville Observer
Town officials in Waynesville, North Carolina have apparently got a big problem with big box stores. The Citizen-Times newspaper reports that the town is “going
Activists in Gresham, Oregon responded quickly to a city planner’s decision to approve a Wal-Mart supercenter. The city approved the plan July 27th, and on
After spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to try to impress the local folk, Wal-Mart walked away last night without a single vote of support.
Wie geht es ihnen,Wal-Mart? Nicht so gut! Two months ago, Sprawl-Busters marked the collapse of Wal-Mart in South Korea, and noted that the retailer’s German
The Chicago City Council, over the objections of its Mayor, adopted a “living wage” ordinance that requires large stores, such as Target, Wal-Mart, Lowe’s and
There are currently three empty Wal-Marts in South Carolina, and one of them happens to be a 91,000 s.f. Wal-Mart discount store, which the retailer
Wal-Mart’s Public Relations Machine is working over-time these days, as the company keeps spending shareholder’s money on Big Name “Ambassadors” to help move the company’s
A gag order has been put into effect in the community of Poway, California. Candidates running for public office have been warned by the city
“This thing is such a mess,” one neighbor wrote Sprawl Busters, “that I hardly know where to start.” Citizens in Forsyth, Georgia are battling not
Johnny Cash may have sung about being stuck in Folsom prison, but residents in this California community don’t want to be stuck inside the walls
Wal-Mart couldn’t muster a single vote early this morning when it came before the Town Council in Davie, Florida. Sprawl-Busters reported on May 22nd that
When Wal-Mart tried to build a supercenter on Route 117 in Leominster, Massachusetts, they stirred up the animosity of area neighbors, who took the city
TIAA-CREF, which describes itself as a “national financial services organization and the leading provider of retirement services in the academic, research, medical and cultural fields,”
Residents in Rapid City, South Dakota are celebrating this week the rapid departure of a planned Wal-Mart superstore. According to a report sent to Sprawl-Busters,
Good fences don’t really make good neighbors, they just defuse the tension. This is certainly true in Guelph, Ontario, where a coalition of religious groups
The Tallahassee Democrat newspaper called it a “surprising procedural move.” But Wal-Mart opponents in Tallahassee, Florida just called it a “victory.” The “surprise” was that
What’s the lifespan of a Wal-Mart building? The folks in Wood River, Illinois feel lucky to have gotten 20 years out of their 104,000 s.f.
Wal-Mart tries to sell itself as a tax generator, but officials in North Carolina have seen the opposite side of the retailer. Wal-Mart, the world’s
Wal-Mart wants to break into The Middle Kingdom — and many Hobbits want no part of it. Citizens in Atascadero, California are gearing up to
Wal-Mart didn’t give its California workers a break, so now the workers aren’t giving Wal-Mart a break. In December, 2005, an Oakland, California jury awarded
Wal-Mart looked at a third strike this week, as a federal appeals court rejected the giant retailer’s claim that a zoning ordinance in Turlock, California,
The Town of Hamburg, New York says it is internationally famous for its Devonian fossils and shale outcroppings along the banks of the Eighteen Mile
Local officials reviewing Home Depot proposals — especially ones near residential properties — should check beyond local fire officials before signing off on a big
In early May, Target filed a formal land use plan with the city of Davis, California, seeking to build a 137,000 s.f store and four
Battles against Wal-Mart have become so commonplace, that the retailer has admitted they expect to encounter organized opposition every time a store goes through a
There are two Wal-Mart supercenters within 18 miles of Fabius, Michigan, but two local communities want another one so much, they are willing to share
A Superior Court judge in New Jersey has hammered Home Depot’s efforts to construct a store in Logan Township, New Jersey. The Gloucester County Times
Wal-Mart gives all of its managers a copy of their Manager’s Toolbox to Remaining Union-Free. The company says in that manual that it is strongly
Wal-Mart has announced that it is withdrawing its proposal to build a sixth supercenter in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The retailer’s proposal for the Soaring Eagles
A handful of taco chips has landed Wal-Mart in court on a racial discrimination case. According to the Associated Press, a federal appeals court has
A tribal band of Native Americans may be financially in over their heads with the Wal-Mart corporation. On May 23, 2009, Sprawl-Busters reported that the
Sprawl-Busters reported on August 6, 2005 that Wal-Mart’s lawyers had blown a court appeal by sending their legal forms first-class mail, instead of certified mail.
Who says community groups have no power? Here’s a short story about how one civic group caused a developer to drop his plans for a
Wal-Mart Realty has more than 24,000,000 square feet of empty stores on the market today. Sometimes these huge “dark stores” as Wal-Mart calls them, remain
On May, 14, 2006, Sprawl-Busters criticized Wal-Mart for trying to avoid size limits in effect in Tallahassee, Florida to prevent superstore sprawl. The Leon County,
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.