If Wal-Mart wants to build a superstore in Avondale Estates, Georgia, it’s going to be required to give up its 24 hour operations, and provide the city with a guarantee that the retailer will either demolish the building or sell it to the city if the company decides to move.This condition to prevent a “dark store” was considered necessary, since Georgia has the second highest number of “empty box” Wal-Marts in the nation, with Texas being Number One. The city also insisted that Wal-Mart pay for its own armed security force inside and outside the store. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Wal-Mart’s lawyer had indicated earlier that anything less than 24 hour operations would be a deal breaker. The city’s Planning and Zoning Board voted this week 3-1 to annex a 23 acre parcel that once was a mall, into the city, so that Wal-Mart can build a 203,000 s.f. supercenter. But it ain’t over ’till the fat company sings. The Planning Commmission’s recommendations go to the Mayor and city commissioners for a final decision. The newspaper said there were at least 50 residents who attended the meeting to voice opposition to the super store. Residents say the superstore will bring noise, lights, traffic and increased crime. Wal-Mart’s reputation as a lousy employer was also brought up. Wal-Mart’s lawyer claimed the city would net $125,000 a year in increased tax payments. That is 5 percent of the city’s annual $2.5 million budget. A citizen’s panel came up with the conditions, including limits on the hours of operation from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., stretched until 1 a.m. during the Christmas shopping season. Negotiators requested a guarantee that Wal-Mart either demolish the building or sell it to the city should the retailer decide to move; and armed security inside and outside the store. One Planning Commission expressed a very dim view of Wal-Mart. “They look at their bottom line at all times, not the citizens around them,” the Commissioner said. “I just think this is a pot of trouble.” The mall that Wal-Mart wants to take over has been closed since December, 2001.
More and more communities are trying to impose important restrictions on big box developers, to avoid major problems later on. Restricting hours of operation and discouraging the abandonment of existing buildings are just two examples of the limits that towns are imposing to protect their own interests. For earlier stories on Avondale Estates, search Newsflash by the name of the city. This battle is not over until the Mayor and City Council get their final vote, which is expected in December.
