The Times Picayune of September 13th. reports that zoning officials in St. Bernard’s parish, Louisiana, have dumped a 221,000 s.f. Wal-Mart superstore proposal because of inadequate parking spaces. This open space parcel is located right next to the county’s office complex, and a park area. The Board of Zoning Adjustments however left some spaces wide open for Wal-Mart to try to park its plan again. One Board member made a motion to allow Wal-Mart to get away with only 1,281 parking spaces, and more pedestrian sidewalks and landscaping. But 3 of the 5 members refused to go along with the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the committee. The 3-2 rejection of Wal-Mart is final, but the company can come back in with a modified plan, to be presented October 10th. At that meeting, the public is not being allowed to testify. A retail project this size needs at least 1,544 parking space, Parish officials says. Yet the Parish code requires 10 parking spaces per 1,000 feet of retail space, so Wal-Mart really needs 2,210 parking spaces. But the Zoning board in the past has allowed “variances” to strict parking requirements. In fact, the existing Wal-Mart, which will close if this supercenter is built, was granted a parking variance.Wal-Mart’s offer to produce 1,281 spaces is only 58% of the Parish’s requirements, and 83% of the lowest variance the Parish was willing to consider. Residents in Chalmette, where the parcel is located, have objected to the project based on traffic concerns. The newspaper says the Parish is planning to do an economic impact study — but one has to wonder whether they will finish it after the Wal-Mart variance is approved. One area homeowner against the plan, Linda Solis, says that replacing the current Wal-Mart with a Wal-Mart Supercenter will only leave the Parish with yet another “dark store”, as Wal-Mart calls the 400 empty stores they have on the market. Solis also told officials that her neighborhood will be choked by trucks, trash and possibly become a target for crime. “I’m 100 percent against Wal-Mart,” Solis told the Picayune. “I’m a good neighbor. We’ve asked them why they want to do this to their neighbors.” The real question is: Will the Parish zoning board compromise its rules enough to let Wal-Mart become a neighbor?
Chalmette already has a Wal-Mart, and the second coming of Wal-Mart will empty out the first store. This is how Louisiana has come to have 18 dead Wal-Marts, and more than 2.6 million square feet of dead retail space in that state. This is how Louisiana became the 5th. ranked state for dead Wal-Marts, tied sith Mississippi, South Carolina, and Alabama. This new superstore proposal, brings no added economic value to Chalmette, but will only displace current grocery stores now operating in the town. The net gain for Chalmette residents is close to nothing. For more info, search this page by “Chalmette” or “Louisiana”.
