Wal-Mart has given the residents of Cobb County, Georgia an early Valentine’s gift. The giant retailer announced this week that is it abandoning plans to rezone 64 acres of land to build a supercenter. Wal-Mart’s decision to pull out seemed logical following the vote last week by the Cobb County Planning Commission that the rezoning be denied. Wal-Mart clearly saw the writing on the WAL. The company sent a letter to the landowner notifying them that the retailer wanted to “terminate the purchase agreement.” The landowner told the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “Looks like Wal-Mart’s dead.” Also dead was the $9 million that Wal-Mart had offered the landowners. Residents who fought the store said it was too large to fit into the surrounding area, which has homes located on large, wooded lots. They also charged that stormwater runoff from the store would damage nearby Lake Allatoona.
This is the second Wal-Mart defeat in Georgia recently. For the other case, search Newsflash by “Avondale Estates.” For the earlier Cobb County case, see the February 2, 2005 Newsflash entry.
