Once again Wal-Mart has used legal intimidation to overcome regulation. Sprawl-Busters reported on July 15th that supervisors in North Whitehall township, Pennsylvania would take a
Wal-Mart’s had a tough time opening a new superstore at the Northcross Mall in Austin, Texas, but things were much smoother in Austin, Minnesota. On
Wal-Mart is making waves in one small Ohio community — literally. Residents in the township of Liberty, Ohio have been working hard to bring a
The village of Ellenville, New York describes itself as “cute” and “one of the most beautiful, up and coming communities in the area.” This little
This Wednesday, July 16th, supervisors in North Whitehall township, Pennsylvania will take a big vote on a big problem. On September 25, 2007, Sprawl-Busters reported
A coalition of labor, neighbors, and environmental groups has won an important victory over Wal-Mart and sprawl development. On January 25, 2006, Sprawl-Busters reported that
A few weeks before Christmas, 2012, Shelly Marie Frey was shot and killed in the parking lot of Wal-Mart supercenter #1279 on North Freeway by
What part of “No” don’t they understand in Canada? On July 7, 2008, the city council in Guelph, Ontario rejected Wal-Mart’s proposal to increase by
On July 8th, Sprawl-Busters reported that Wal-Mart had shrunk the size of its proposed superstore, cut down the parking lot, and even offered to pay
Township Supervisors in Moon, Pennsylvania took one giant step for mankind — and then they reversed it. The supervisors voted 3-2 against a Wal-Mart preliminary
No one has ever compared a Wal-Mart supercenter to a “woodsy mountain lodge” — but that’s how one newspaper described Wal-Mart’s makeover plans for a
Wal-Mart, the supposed icon of the free market, wants a County board in Wisconsin to prevent public land surrounding its proposed store from being sold
Shareholders and advocacy groups will press the giant pension fund, TIAA-CREF, at its annual shareholders meetings on July 15th in Denver, Colorado, to “reform or
On November 19, 2004, Sprawl-Busters began the story of a citizens group’s efforts to block the construction of a Home Depot store in the Coconut
Wal-Mart has shrunk the size of its proposed superstore, cut down the parking lot, and even offered to pay for road improvements — but its
Wal-Mart is making a major superstore push in Canada, including the community of Guelph, Ontario, where the retailer had to battle for more than ten
It’s important that every community in America have at least one discount store with double-wide aisles. That’s what Wal-Mart has promised the residents of Poway,
How many Wal-Mart does one community need? That’s a question that city officials in Rockford, Illinois — a community of roughly 155,000 people — have
On June 12, 2008, Sprawl-Busters went to the Moon. We spent an evening helping residents of Moon township, Pennsylvania, get organized, and form the group
There are no less than 20 Wal-Mart stores within 25 miles of Wrentham, Massachusetts. Only two of those stores are supercenters, but anyone resident addicted
In the 1990s, before Wal-Mart discovered the environment, the company used to prominently display its charitable giving to organizations helping the disabled. Photos of disabled
If a groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania comes out of his hole on Route 119, he’s likely to see the shadow of a huge Wal-Mart supercenter.
Blair, Nebraska, a city with roughly 8,000 people, is located in eastern Nebraska on the Missouri River, about twenty minutes north of metropolitan Omaha. Blair
Wal-Mart officials have said repeatedly “we are not a green company.” But as sure as green is the color of money, Wal-Mart is a green
In October of 2006, the Assembly in Anchorage, Alaska voted 8-2 to overturn a decision from its own Planning Commission that rejected a proposed Wal-Mart
On March 20, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that homeowners in Rocky Point, Long Island, one of the 51 hamlets of Brookhaven, New York, have been fighting
On June 19, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that Wal-Mart had decided not to pave over wetlands in Lady’s Island, South Carolina. Wal-Mart had applied for a
On December 3, 2006, Sprawl-Busters updated the story of residents in Pullman, Washington, who were engaged in a marathon legal battle to block a Wal-Mart
On October 10, 2005, Sprawl-Busters reported that residents in Polson, Montana had organized to prevent Wal-Mart from closing down its existing store, just to build
Two words out of Austin, Texas this week: “We won!” Citizen pressure and legal delays have prodded Wal-Mart to cut a proposed supercenter in half.
One of the country’s most prestigious newspapers, The Washington Post, ran a story June 23, 2008 implying that when Wal-Mart comes to town, neighborhood businesses
On April 3, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that Wal-Mart had tried to squeeze too many stores into Port Orange, Florida, population 56,000, and the retailer was
If Wal-Mart thought building a supercenter in Pittsfield, Michigan was going to be a six month process — they ended up spending six years embroiled
This week Iowa City, Iowa is just starting to recover from the flooding of the Iowa River. Local residents and business owners impacted by the
Two strikes and you’re out. Wal-Mart has been rejected twice in the small town of Zionsville, Indiana (pop. 12,500). This is a community that boasts
On April 12, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that Frenchtown, Michigan was the 49th community to see its proposed Wal-Mart supercenter either cancelled or delayed since June
On June 6, 2005, Sprawl-Busters updated the battle against a Wal-Mart superstore in Titusville, Florida, where residents had been locked in a struggle to keep
Mother Nature and Lady’s Island have conspired to defeat Mr. Smiley. On February 28, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that Wal-Mart had decided to appeal a decision
Chesterton Indiana describes itself as a “small, yet quickly growing town.” It is the gateway to the Indiana Dunes State Park, with a 2006 population
This week Wal-Mart announced once again that it is slowing down the rate of growth of new supercenters in the United States. In June of
Sandy, Pennsylvania has a population of around 11,600 people. “Great neighborhoods and schools,” the township boasts, “good jobs, bustling commerce, superior transportation access, and year
Thirteen years ago, a woman in Newberry township, Pennsylvania wrote a letter to Wal — Mart’s president, David Glass, in the form of a petition
This week, a voter initiative petition designed to prevent big box stores in Atascadero, California gathered the necessary 1,511 signatures to be presented to the
On January 12, 2006, Sprawl-Busters reported that Wal-Mart wanted to build a supercenter in the floodplains of Amherst, New York. Residents in Amherst told Sprawl-Busters:
Sometimes even the best just isn’t good enough. In Moon, Pennsylvania, the Chairman of the township’s board of Supervisors has been wrestling with Wal-Mart’s application
Local land use decisions are 90% politics, 10% science. Even though a Wal-Mart superstore in Cudahy, Wisconsin is incompatible with the city’s growth plans, and
On April 5, 2006, Sprawl-Busters reported that the village of East Dundee, Illinois was in an uproar because a real estate listing showed that the
In March of 2008, a 180,000 s.f. Wal-Mart superstore opened in Granby, New York, listed by Wal-Mart as a store in Fulton, New York on
A developer has unveiled a plan to build a huge, 1.1 million square foot Wal-Mart distribution center on a 235 acre parcel of land roughly
On July 11, 2005, Sprawl-Busters reported that residents in Etna, Ohio had organized to fight off a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter on the east side of
