On August 20th, Sprawl-Busters reported that the Planning & Zoning Commission in Avondale, Arizona had unanimously rejected Wal-Mart’s application to build a superstore in town. “The type of store that Wal-Mart is, is not what we want for the entrance of Avondale,” one Planning and Zoning Commissioner said at the time. The final vote of the City Council on this case was expected on September 19th, and opponents were mobilizing to push their way to victory. But that won’t be necessary now, because in today’s email was the following message to activists: “This email is being sent to you in light of your interest in the Avondale Town Center development, which included Wal-Mart as a tenant. Please be advised that the applicant for Avondale Town Center has withdrawn its application for rezoning and site plan approval for the property located on the northwest corner of Van Buren Street and Avondale Boulevard. As a result, this item will not appear on the agenda at the September 19 Avondale Council Meeting, as originally intended. No further action will be taken on this application as it
relates to this location. Thank you for your interest.” The email was sent by Pier Simeri, Community Relations and Public Affairs Director for the City of Avondale.
Needless to say, Wal-Mart likely saw the writing on the WAL. Often in these cases, the city council or planning staff will find a way to let an applicant know that they are not going to approve their plan, giving the developer the graceful option of withdrawing instead of having to be publicly clubbed at a City Council meeting. We don’t care. A slam-dunk is a slam-dunk. Wal-Mart will now sniff around at other sites in and around Avondale, so strong is their instinct to locate where citizens do not want them. For earlier stories, check Newsflash by “Avondale.”
