This week brought a major legal setback to Wal-Mart’s plans in the high desert of California, and raised serious environmental issues about its superstore projects.
Wal-Mart’s got that seven year itch in Lodi, California. The mega-retailer has been trying to squeeze its way into Lodi since 2002. Sprawl-Busters began writing
The Wal-Mart corporation has been carefully nurturing its image as a strong supporter of the Latino community in America, opening stores designed for Latino shoppers,
Almost six years ago, officials in Delano, California were frustrated that a proposed Wal-Mart in their city had moved across county lines, depriving the city
West Kendall, Florida is a suburb of Miami-Dade County. Tomorrow evening, May 12, 2009, the West Kendall Community Council will take up a request from
How many big box stores does it take to destroy a community’s small town charm? Wal-Mart has 9 ‘dark stores’ in North Carolina, and if
Is the American public reaching its saturation point with big box stores? A new opinion poll published by the Santa Rosa, California Press Democrat newspaper
On July 15, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that residents in Wawarsing, New York, and the village of Ellenville, New York were fighting a ‘secret’ Wal-Mart. Ellenville
On January 3, 2009, Sprawl-Busters reported that the police in Nassau County, New York had released a new plan designed to prevent the recurrence of
On April 7, 2009 Sprawl-Busters reported that Cave Creek, Arizona has 10 Wal-Marts within 20 miles, half of which are superstores. There are two giant
City officials in Batavia, Illinois got some good news this week — but they didn’t even realize it. On April 23, 2009, the Kane County
The township of Carroll, Pennsylvania has already lost one battle to local opponents of a Wal-Mart store. Now the town could be heading towards its
Until officials in Old Bridge, New Jersey approve a new Wal-Mart supercenter, the retailer is saying little about the fate of the ‘old’ Wal-Mart in
Sometimes Wal-Mart opponents end up winning a battle they thought they had already lost. On April 13, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that city officials in Mentor,
Without putting up a fuss, Wal-Mart has quietly written a check to the taxpayers of Ohio for $1.7 million for a job creation tax credit
On October 19, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that citizens in Queensbury, New York were feeling ‘boxed in’ by developers. The town of Queensbury, with a population
Wal-Mart is not used to having independent consultants analyze its plans — but that’s the price the retailer is going to have to pay if
While one time-worn battle over Wal-Mart continues in Medford, Oregon, another one just ended. Wal-Mart has a discount store on Crater Lake Highway in Medford
This is another story about the ‘in-box conversion’ trend at Wal-Mart. On September 11, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that the residents of the Sugar House community
At Wal-Mart, big is beautiful. But the giant retailer has begun a subtle shift in rhetoric that foretells the day when huge superstores will resemble
Wal-Mart and big city Mayors often don’t see eye to eye. But Wal-Mart figures that as the economy slides downward, and more people lose their
One of the world’s largest drug store chains is employing a very unusual — and provocative — method for sourcing its drugs. This week mighty
It’s been a long and winding road for Wal-Mart in Clovis, California. On September 17, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that the citizens in Clovis had shamed
Wal-Mart currently has 16 empty retail buildings in Illinois that it wants to sell or lease. One of them is located in Ottawa, Illinois on
If Wal-Mart wants to open a superstore on Victoria Avenue in Ventura, California, it’s going to have to do it within the 84,000 footprint of
On April 18, 2009 Sprawl-Busters reported that Wal-Mart’s superstore plans were falling on deaf ears in the Canadian city of Owen Sound, Ontario. Located on
In January 2005, a 142,000 s.f. Wal-Mart store opened in the Vornado Shopping Center on Route 30 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Wal-Mart moved into
It could take several months for a judge in Florida to make a big decision about a very big Wal-Mart distribution center. Sprawl-Busters reported on
The Canadian city of Owen Sound, Ontario is located on the southern shores of Georgian Bay in a valley below the sheer rock cliffs of
Wal-Mart has learned the hard way not to pick a fight with Hercules. On December 15, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that the city of Hercules, California
It didn’t take long for the residents of one small Pennsylvania town to speak out against Wal-Mart. On March 10, 2009, Sprawl-Busters reported that developers
When two communities fail to plan together, they end up being played off one another — to a giant developer’s benefit. On February 1, 2009,
A proposed Wal-Mart supercenter for Aurora, New York had a short, unhappy life this week. On December 5th, only one week after being proposed, the
If effort were everything, Wal-Mart would have everything in Gainesville. Instead, it’s been a lot of pain and not much gain for Wal-Mart in Gainesville,
On September 18, 2004, Sprawl-Busters reported that residents in Hermantown, Minnesota had an armload of concerns about a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter in their community, and
In September of 2007, Wal-Mart received approval from the city of Redmond, Oregon to build a Wal-Mart supercenter on Oak Tree Lane. At the same
Sprawl-Busters began writing about a Wal-Mart battle in Lodi, California in the summer of 2004. The giant retailer actually has been stuck in Lodi now
On August 23, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that a planned Wal-Mart superstore in the tiny town of Ruckersville, Virginia had hit the Wal. Ruckersville, Virginia is
What does a Wal-Mart supercenter have to do with a renewable energy tax credit? Answer: Nothing. Yet the world’s richest retailer has bought itself a
Cave Creek, Arizona has 10 Wal-Marts within 20 miles, half of which are superstores. There are two giant superstores just 12 and 13 miles away
On April 22, 2009, the Brooklyn, Connecticut Planning and Zoning Commission will continue its public hearing on a Wal-Mart superstore application at the Brooklyn Middle
On May 21, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that the Wal-Mart discount store in Hemet, California had been abandoned by the giant retailer, and was becoming an
It’s a pretty safe bet that if your community has a Wal-Mart discount store, it’s either going to get bigger, or shut down. On December
Two years ago, Wal-Mart workers and their children cost the taxpayers of Massachusetts $7.2 million for subsidized health care. A new report released this past
In several parts of the country, Wal-Mart has decided to take existing discount stores and convert them into superstores — without increasing the store’s footprint.
Wal-Mart has finally stumbled on an easy way to create superstores. The traditional approach by the retailer is to either break down walls at an
On January 11, 2009, Sprawl-Busters reported that a Wal-Mart distribution center in Barstow, California was on ice until this spring because of a lawsuit. Now
Wal-Mart is once again pitting one town’s gain against another town’s loss, as the retailer shifts its stores ever so slightly, from discount operation to
Open one, shut one. It’s all pain and no gain in New Hampshire, as Wal-Mart continues its march through New England, proposing supercenters, while closing
A Connecticut developer, Louis J. Ceruzzi of Fairfield, has suddenly withdrawn his Notice of Intent (NOI) to build a 160,000 s.f. Wal-Mart in Greenfield, Massachusetts,
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.