Anti-Wal-Mart activists took their case to City Hall this week in protest of plans to build a Wal-Mart supercenter at Carriage Place. The proposal requires a rezoning, and has to be approved by the Columbus City Council. Last March, the city’s Development Commission voted to rezone the land, but some city planning staff remain unconvinced that the project has sufficient parking. The plan has had less success with neighbors, including the Northwest Civic Association (NWCA). “We just don’t think Wal-Mart should come in against the will of the ‘little’ people,” said Alvin Hadley, executive director of the Metropolitan Area Church Council, a member of the newly-formed Coalition to Protect Our Community. Residents charge that the Carriage Place shopping center where Wal-Mart wants to locate was promised as a neighborhood-friendly shopping area. “Approval of this proposal will … send a message that the world’s largest corporation can run roughshod over neighborhoods. In the end, this will deter responsible development that Columbus badly needs,” the NWCA said in a press release. A group called Progress with Economic and Environmental Responsibility (PEER) has joined the Coalition, saying Wal-Mart represents less green space, more traffic and pollution, according to David Ditmars, member of PEER, and vice president of NWCA. These groups are pushing a “Better, Not Bigger” campaign, which includes promoting legislation in Columbus regulating so-called “Big Box” stores such as Wal-Mart, Target and others.
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