Residents in Voorhees, New Jersey say they are “thrilled” that a proposed Wal-Mart has been cut out of a developer’s plans in this community. Sprawl-Busters heard from residents in Voorhees in August, when they reported, “Nearly 300 residents were at last night’s Planning Board Hearing on the Master Plan to fashion language that would make putting a Wal-Mart in the parking lot of our local Mall more difficult for the developer, Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust ( PREIT.) Groups SAVE (Smart Action for Voorhees and Echelon, www.savevoorhees.org) and VERA(Voorhees Environmental and Recreational Alliance)presented an alternative town center plans, incorporating Smart Growth planning.” The Philadelphia Inquirer reported this week that PREIT had dropped Wal-Mart from its plans. Instead, the developer is following the “lead of residents seeking a Main Street style town center.” The Mayor of the township told residents that PREI “has obviously listened to concerns of residents, and has an alternative concept.” The groups SAVE and VERA turned out hundreds of people to local hearings, and presented their alternative vision to a big box approach. Marylee Margolis, cochair of SAVE, told the Inquirer, “Personally, I’m thrilled — just with the fact that Wal-Mart is not coming. This plan shows creativity and vision, and is much more community-friendly.” Lori Volpe, the head of VERA, said PREIT’s new plan “beats a big box, and is more in scale with the neighborhood. I don’t know how many people have been successful in chasing Wal-Mart away, but PREIT deserves credit for changing their minds about what would work there, and responding to public sentiment.”
Another Wal-Mart bites the dust. This project would have been described as a “done deal” until citizens starting organizing. Instead, it became a “dumb deal.” For more background on Voorhees, go to the SAVE website listed above.
