Residents in Plano, Texas report that Wal-Mart has received preliminary approval from the Plano Planning & Zoning board to build a 206,000 s.f. supercenter at the corner of Park Boulevard and Dallas North Tollway. Residents note that “because the zoning was already in place, approval was granted. We had over 300 people at the meeting to protest Wal-Mart. City Council has gotten involved, and there will be a council meeting on May 10th. This is our big opportunity to stop Wal-Mart in their tracks, or at least delay them from breaking ground. Legally, we are hoping for the Council to enact a moratorium, because they did not receive adequate information before Planning & zoning approval. At issue, one of the only remaining spring-fed ponds/water areas will be wiped out when Wal-Mart puts a significant part of their parking lot over it. Also, one of the nearby intersections is at maximum capacity, according to the city. This intersection is already a nightmare, with an estimated 10,000 cars a day. Third, there is a serious safety issue with the cut-through traffic with the abutting neighborhoods. We are working to get as many bodies to the next meeting, fearful that the 300 won[t show up again, since the first meeting was so deflating. If this store is built, Wal-Mart will walk from an existing store less than two miles away. They’ve let that store turn into a dump already.”
For local contacts fighting Wal-Mart in Plano, contact [email protected]. Texas has more dead Wal-Marts than any other state in the nation. Plano will be just one more shell on the list.
