Wal-Mart is that bad retail penny that keeps turning up — in the same place. Citizens in Tallahassee, Florida have filed the following report: “In October 2004, Wal-Mart withdrew a request to the Leon County, Florida Commission for revesting of development rights associated with the vacant Sam’s Club site they own in Northwest Tallahassee. The intent was to tear down the Sam’s Club and build Tallahassee’s 4th Wal-Mart. Because of opposition from neighborhood groups (Gwynndale neighborhood) and environmental activists (The Friends of Lake Jackson)Wal-Mart pulled out. In May 2005, Wal-Mart informed the County that they would try again, this time with a plan to meet the stringent Lake Protection Water Management regulations. They sent their PR person to meet with all the County Commissioners in September. They outbid the Trust for Public Lands for a 22-acre wooded ravine behind the site they own and have options to buy it and other adjacent property. As of now, (10/18/05) they have not submitted a preliminary site plan so environmental and neighborhood warriors are waiting for the shoe to drop. We pressured them to back off last year (2004) but, of course, they came back this year (May 2005) and now say that they can now meet the stormwater management regulations. The site is in an environmentally sensitive area (Lake Jackson Protection Zone) that has been designated a special protection zone because of past storm water run-off damage to the lake caused by overdevelopment. Wal-Mart has taken options on several pieces of property surrounding their site, including outbidding the Trust for Public Lands by $150,000 for a 22-acre wooded ravine (Gwynndale Ravine) that is between the store and our neighborhood (the Gwynndale neighborhood). The store will harm the wildlife and forest in the ravine and have a negative effect on our neighborhood in terms of traffic, light and noise. It’s a fairly complex land-use deal but they have hired the best local land-use attorneys to help them.
Wal-Mart has a unimpressive environmental record with the federal Environmental Protection Agency for stormwater management. For more background on those stories, search this Newsflash page by “Environmental”. Tallahassee residents are going for their second victory over Wal-Mart. For local contacts, email [email protected]
