On July 9th, Newsflash reported on the efforts of residents in the picturesque city of Poulsbo, Washington to keep out a Wal-Mart supercenter. The city, called by many “Little Norway” because of its quaint, old-world charm and character, has been hit with a big problem since Wal-Mart filed to build on a site known as the Olhava development. For the past two months, a local group called Citizens to Stop Wal-Mart, had protested the plan, saying it was inharmonious with the city’s Master Plan. But this week the City Council voted 4-2 to reject the citizen’s appeal against the plan. A one vote margin made the difference. A creek with salmon runs near the property, and residents raised concerns about stormwater runoff. One Council member was worried that the storm water ponds would not fully remove pollution before it reached the creek, and asked for controls over mosquito breeding on the standing water in the ponds. Residents called the narrow vote a “sad day for Poulsbo” according to the Sun newspaper.
In our earlier report from Poulsbo, residents suggested that if their appeal was denied, they would take this case to court. So Little Norway may not get a big Wal-Mart as soon as some think.
