City Votes for 3 Month Big Box Moratorium
April 7, 2004
City officials in Steamboat Springs, Colorado have turned up the heat on big box retailers.The City council in March passed a three month moratorium with
Al Norman
City Plays Hardball with Neighbors over Big Box retail
April 7, 2004
Sprawl-busters in Rochester Hills, Michigan sent us the following report from the front lines: “The residents of Rochester Hills have been hoodwinked by their city
CVS Plan Rejected by Planning Commission
April 7, 2004
On March 25th, the Westerville, Ohio Planning Commission delivered some bitter medicine to the CVS drugstore chain. By a 4-3 vote, the Commission voted to
Residents Win First Round in Court to Halt Superstore Site Activity
April 2, 2004
Residents in Edmond, Oklahoma made April Fools out of Wal-Mart developers, when a judge ruled that site plan hearings for a Wal-Mart superstore must stop
Residents organize to block ASDA/Wal-Mart store
April 2, 2004
Residents from three neighborhood groups in Swansea, England, have joined forces to block the application by Asda/Wal-Mart to build a 72,000 s.f. superstore on the
Anti-Wal-Mart Effort Turns Into Civil Rights Recall Lawsuit
April 1, 2004
A free market battle over a Wal-Mart supercenter has turned into a free speech battle instead. On November 11, 2007 Sprawl-Busters wrote that the Solano
County Requires Wal-Mart to Get a Special Permit
April 1, 2004
A zoning administrator in Union County, North Carolina has thrown a wrench into the works in Wal-Mart’s plan to build a supercenter near the town
Mexican Workers Win $30 M Lawsuit
March 30, 2004
A New York-based garment maker that sells clothing to companies like Wal-Mart, Sears and K-Mart paid out $30 million recently to the survivors of 14
Higher Court Allows 2 Wal-Marts to Continue Construction.
March 28, 2004
Newsflash recently carried two stories about a Judge’s decision in Kern County,California that literally stopped construction on two Wal-Mart supercenters, because the city had failed
Citizens File Lawsuit to Stop Wal-Mart Superstore
March 27, 2004
Residents in Hemet, California have become the latest community in the state to raise a fuss over a Wal-Mart. Here is a report from the
Planning Staff Hand Wal-Mart Another Delay.
March 27, 2004
Wal-Mart’s plans to build a supercenter on Route 41 in Estero, Florida has suffered another delay. According to the Naples News, Lee County staff this
Bad Union Track Record Stalls Wal-Mart on West Side Chicago
March 27, 2004
As Wal-Mart moves into urban locations, it has run into dense opposition to its stores. On the West side of Chicago, for example, Wal-Mart’s plans
Residents Stop Comp Plan Change for Wal-Mart
March 27, 2004
More than 150 residents of Papillion, Nebraska turned out recently to protest a developer’s plans to change the city’s Comprehensive Plan and rezone 75 acres
Wal-Mart Buys 113 Brazilian Grocery Stores.
March 21, 2004
On March 1, 2004, Wal-Mart announced that it was expanding its holdings in Brazil by buying that country’s third-largest supermarket chain, Bompreco, for $300 million
BJ’s Wholesale Club Loses Bid to Build Gas Station
March 21, 2004
BJ’s Wholesale Club tried to wedge a gas station into the front of its store in Greenfield, Massachusetts, but when the local Zoning Board refused
ch, 2004
March 21, 2004
Sprawl-Busters receives communiques from about 2-3 new communities every day who are fighting big box sprawl. Here is a “snapshot” of recent stories submitted from
Residents Take on Walton Family To Stop Wal-Mart Saturation
March 21, 2004
Sam Walton boasted in his autobiography that he had saturated 40 stores within 100 square miles of Springfield, Missouri. That pattern continues today, as evidenced
It’s all over for Konover. Town Meeting Nixes Plan.
March 21, 2004
One of the nation’s largest mall developers, the Konover Development Corporation, based in Farmington, Connecticut, has been stopped yet again by the residents of Littleton,
County Lawmakers Reject Wal-Mart “Gift” Of $1,000.
March 20, 2004
Officials in Georgia have decided to look a gift horse in the mouth — and they’d didn’t like what they saw. In a 33-4 vote,
First Costco, now Wal-Mart Creates a “Dead City.”
March 20, 2004
Our correspondents in Cuernavaca, Mexico say the entire community is being overrun with big box retailers. The largest incursion came first with a bitterly fought
Residents in Court Over Wal-Mart Supercenter
March 20, 2004
According to the Northern Virginia Daily newspaper, residents in Front Royal, Virigina will be front and center in court next fall, in their battle to
Court Orders Wal-Mart, Lowe’s to Stop Construction.
March 13, 2004
Anti-sprawl activists in Bakersfield, California scored big this week with a multiple slam-dunk over the issue of economic impact of big box stores. Two Wal-Marts,
Residents Fight Wal-Mart Proposed Next to Residential Properties
March 13, 2004
Residents in Hemet, California have been wrestling with the world’s largest retailer. Here’s their report from the frontlines: “In July of 2003, we attended a
Green Party on Campus Protests Wal-Mart At Demonstration
March 13, 2004
Students at the Mt.San Antonio College in Upland, California are giving the thumbs down to Wal-Mart. “How does Wal-Mart continually have ‘always low prices’ that
Residents Not Moved by Wal-Mart’s “Neighborhood Friendly” Store
March 13, 2004
Residents in Thornton, Colorado have collected more than 2,300 signatures against a proposed Wal-Mart superstore at the corner of the new interstate 25 exchange. According
Wal-Mart offering business health insurance in ten states
March 13, 2004
Would you buy health insurance from Wal-Mart? In the market for low, everyday health care? The Nashville Business Journal reports that the Wal-Mart owned membership
Economic Impact Study Not Very Flattering to Wal-Mart.
March 11, 2004
A study released yesterday shows that a Wal-Mart supercenter proposed for Lodi, California will not lift many boats. According to the Stockton Record, the study
Wal-Mart Board Will Meet in China.
March 7, 2004
The website www.chinaview.cn reports that Wal-Mart, the “Made in America” company, will hold a board meeting in China. It’s about time Wal-Mart thank the Chinese
Mayor Can’t Figure Out Wal-Mart Rejection by 7-2 Vote.
March 7, 2004
According to the Courier-Post newspaper, the Mayor of Deptford, New Jersey is mystified why his Planning Board rejected a Wal-Mart located in a former shopping
Federal Tax Dollars Subsidizing Wal-Mart
March 7, 2004
The largest retailer in the world, with more than $8 billion in profits last year, still needs federal tax dollars to make a go of
Wal-Mart Spends A Million to Win Narrow Vote
March 3, 2004
Although Wal-Mart repeatedly has claimed that it has no plans to build a supercenter in Contra Costa County, California, the area’s Board of Supervisors weren’t
Wal-Mart Big Loser As Voters Reject Store By Wide Margin
March 3, 2004
You won’t hear Wal-Mart talking about opponents as a “vocal minority” anymore — at least not in the city of San Marcos, California. A Wal-Mart
Anti-big box ordinances spread like California wildfire.
March 2, 2004
Even as Wal-Mart referendum votes are being taken in several California cities today, more new ordinances limiting these stores are being planned. Efforts to restrict
Wal-Mart Muddies the Waters with Annexation Bid.
March 2, 2004
Wal-Mart has stirred up the waters in an attempt to take land from one township, move it into another, and then rezone it. The Indiana
Wal-Mart Ballot Questions Decided March 2nd.
February 29, 2004
On Tuesday, March 2nd, the votes for and against Wal-Mart will be counted in San Marcos and Contra Costa, California. In San Marcos, Wal-Mart has
U.S. Taxpayers Pay Tab for Wal-Mart’s Low Wages.
February 25, 2004
That Wal-Mart store you pass by on the highway is costing you a lot of money. A 25 page report released last week by Congressman
Home Depot Gives Up, Gets Slam-Dunked into Mystic River
February 22, 2004
Another big corporation has been dumped into the Mystic River. This one may never become a Clint Eastwood movie, but it’s every bit as dramatic.
Citizens Turn to Courts to Block Wal-Mart
February 22, 2004
Newsflash has followed the case of the citizens v. Wal-Mart in the small town (pop. 4,300) of Sequim (“skwim”) in the state of Washington. Here’s
Federal Jury Says Wal-Mart Must Pay For Forced Overtime.
February 18, 2004
The Associated Press has reported that on February 17th a federal jury in Oregon found Wal-Mart should have to compensate its workers that it forced
Wal-Mart Sues Another City Over Superstore Zoning Ordinance
February 16, 2004
It took Wal-Mart just under a month to sue the city of Turlock, California, which has become the latest target of the giant retailer’s legal
Court Blocks Lowe’s Plan, Affirms Citizen’s Group
February 16, 2004
The Matrix has been unloaded in a small Pennsylvania town. A three-judge panel has ordered the town of Lower Makefield, Pennsylvania to correct a process
Wal-Mart offers “urban” superstore with underground parking.
February 15, 2004
Residents in Chamblee, Georgia have sent the following front lines report of their battle with Wal-Mart: “Wal-Mart is currently in the process of seeking approval
Wal-Mart Wants 2 Supercenters 4 Miles Apart.
February 14, 2004
Estero, Florida is back into sprawl-busters news. Residents are not pleased with the prospect of 2 Wal-Mart supercenters within 4 miles of each other. A
Wal-Mart Gets Slam-Dunk Rejection by Planning Commission
February 14, 2004
The decision to hold a Wal-Mart hearing in the Milford, Ohio Firefighers hall was symbolic. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, as many as 375 residents
Residents Want to Keep Church, and Pray for CVS to Leave.
February 12, 2004
The Westerville, Ohio City Council chambers are expected to be crammed to the rafters on February 17th. That’s the evening when convenience store CVS goes
After 7 Years of Opposition, Wal-Mart Still A Threat.
February 5, 2004
Very few citizens have spent as much time fighting off Wal-Mart as the residents of Manor Township, Pennsylvania, now in their seventh year on the
Wal-Mart Sues County Over Zoning Ordinance
February 4, 2004
Over the past year, Wal-Mart has grown increasingly aggressive in battling back communities that try to enact what I call the “California style” size caps
Judge Halts Two Wal-Marts Until Economic Impact Studied.
February 2, 2004
You might call this story ‘The Bench Vs. Bentonville.’ A Kern County Superior Court Judge in Bakersfield, California has stunned Wal-Mart and city officials by
First Home Depot, Now a Wal-Mart Lawsuit–In The Same Town.
February 2, 2004
Regina Discenza is collecting lawsuits against big box retailers. Although they don’t come with bulk discounts, Discenza isn’t letting any of these stores slip into
Wal-Mart opens its first “smaller” Superstore
January 30, 2004
CBS Marketwatch reported this week that Wal-Mart opened up its first “smaller” super center meant for urban areas. CBS notes that many communities have passed