There was another slam-dunk of Wal-Mart this week. Citizens in Windsor, Colorado, a town of about 15,000 people, celebrated a victory over Wal-Mart on Monday night. The Town Board in Windsor voted 4-3 not to rezone land for a 186,000 s.f. supercenter. An overflow crowd of Wal-Mart opponents signed up to speak against the project. A group called Windsor Against the Wall lead the organizing effort against the giant retailer. The Town Board decision, which came just before midnight, was greeted with cheers and loud applause. The Wal-Mart proposed rezoning would have allowed the construction of a supercenter on 23 acres of land. Windsor Against the Wall argued that the superstore would dramatically increase car trips, create negative impacts on existing merchants, and displace land set aside for multifamily housing. “We really need some land where affordable housing can go in Windsor,” explained Susan Carey, chair of Windsor Against the Wall. “There are many sites in Windsor that could accommodate a big-box supercenter, but this isn’t an appropriate place for it.” Wal-Mart spokesman Keith Morris told the media that the opponents in Windsor were looking for any excuse the stop his company. “We’ve been told that we should locate away from the population, but if we did that, people would be accusing us of contributing to sprawl,” Morris was quoted by The Denver Post.
With the Town Council vote in Windsor this week, no one will be accusing Wal-Mart of contributing to sprawl, because the supercenter simply won’t be built. But the Coloradoan newspaper suggests that citizens in favor of the Wal-Mart might try to take the issue to the voters. For local contacts at Windsor Against the Wall, please contact info@sprawl-busters.com
