Skip to content
  • (413) 834-4284
  • [email protected]
  • 21 Grinnell St, Greenfield, Massachusetts
Search
Close
Sprawl-busters
  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Books
    • Movies
    • Home Towns, Not Home Depot
    • The Case Against Sprawl
  • Victories
  • Blog
    • Share Your Battle
  • Contact
Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Books
    • Movies
    • Home Towns, Not Home Depot
    • The Case Against Sprawl
  • Victories
  • Blog
    • Share Your Battle
  • Contact
  • Uncategorized

Wal-Mart Pulls Plug On Its Own Project

  • Al Norman
  • July 19, 2006
  • No Comments

Residents in Rapid City, South Dakota are celebrating this week the rapid departure of a planned Wal-Mart superstore. According to a report sent to Sprawl-Busters, “We beat Wal-Mart, sort of. We did stop them from building their store on the scenic highway to Mt. Rushmore here in the Black Hills. It was quite the battle but they are now back at the point where they should have started-looking for a site that is not creating sprawl and is in an area that will support the monster development that they create. It all came down to stopping the developers from taking whatever they wanted to get the Wal-Mart store on their piece of land. If Wal-Mart is looking for land, tell people to get to the developers before Wal-Mart does — and don’t give up. The adjacent landowners were extremely important in stopping this monster!!” According to a report by KELO TV, “After stirring up controversy and emotions in Rapid City, Wal-Mart has decided not to buy land south of town to build a second store.” Last month the voters in Rapid City approved plans for a second supercenter in the city, but Wal-Mart is leaving anyway. A representative from the group that opposed Wal-Mart, the Smart Growth Coalition, was quoted as saying, “Well I’m really pleased. This is a win for the people!” But one city councilman felt burned by Wal-Mart. “There’s a certain level of frustration and disappointment — frustration in the fact that so much effort was put into it.” Wal-Mart’s public explanation noted that they canceled on the site because of “last minute transaction issues with landowners nearby.” The TV station said the landowners could not agree on road access and utility service. Whatever the reason, opponents are celebrating a win, and saying that Wal-Mart needs to look for a more suitable site. “We objected to them at that site. We thought it was a leap too far,” an opponent told KELO. One city official added, “Maybe we can find spots more suitable or easier to accept for individuals who are opposed to what they consider as leap frog development.” The city is now considering rezoning the land Wal-Mart wanted back to agricultural use.

As we have said many times, these site fights aren’t over ’till the fat company sings. In this case, it was abutting landowners who squeezed Wal-Mart out. For local contacts in Rapid City, contact [email protected]

Like this article?

Share on facebook
Share on Facebook
Share on twitter
Share on Twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on Linkdin
Share on pinterest
Share on Pinterest
Al Norman

Al Norman

Al Norman first achieved national attention in October of 1993 when he successfully stopped Wal-Mart from locating in his hometown of Greenfield, Massachusetts. Almost 3 decades later they is still not Wal-Mart in Greenfield. Norman has appeared on 60 Minutes, was featured in three films, wrote 3 books about Wal-Mart, and gained widespread media attention from the Wall Street Journal to Fortune magazine. Al has traveled throughout the U.S., Barbados, Puerto Rico, Ireland, and Japan, helping dozens of local coalitions fight off unwanted sprawl development. 60 Minutes called Al “the guru of the anti-Wal-Mart movement.”

Leave a comment

Find Us

  • 21 Grinnell St, Greenfield, MA
  • (413) 834-4284
  • [email protected]

Helpful Links

  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
Menu
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Recent Posts

CHRISTIAN SMALLS, FIRED AMZN WAREHOUSE WORKER, FILES RACE DISCRIMATION LAWSUIT. …

November 16, 2020

DUE TO THE SURGE IN CORONA CASES, WMT IS LIMITING SHOPPERS TO 5 PER 1,000 SF. A…

November 16, 2020

AMAZON RECENTLY ANNOUNCED FREE 1 HOUR GROCERY PICK UP FOR PRIME MEMBER ORDERS &g…

November 15, 2020

AFTER BEING REJECTED BY THE DEERFIELD, MA PLANNING BOARD, DOLLAR GENERAL APPEALS…

November 15, 2020

WILL TRUMP ALLOW ORACLE & WALMART TO INVEST IN TIK TOK? The deadline to ban …

November 14, 2020

AMAZON ACCUSED OF BREAKING ANTITRUST RULES IN EUROPE. “Data of 3rd-party sellers…

November 14, 2020

WALMART PET CARE NOW SELLING PET INSURANCE. My 3 year old mixed breed cat would …

November 13, 2020

WALMART’S GOING TO THE DOGS. 90 M OF ITS CUSTOMERS HAVE DOGS. You’d be Goofy not…

November 13, 2020

WALMART CASHIERS STILL LOOKING FOR A SEAT. They won a $65 M lawsuit in 2019, but…

November 12, 2020

4 DAYS BEFORE THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION,THE CO-FOUNDER OF HOME DEPOT SAID: “Pres…

November 12, 2020

Recent Tweets

Al Norman 20 hours ago

TO COMPETE with AMZN Prime, Walmart is dropping its $35 order minimum for 2-hr. Express Delivery of groceries & other products. Unlimited free deliveries still cost $98 annual fee. https://t.co/gAPzWzZCxW

Read More
Al Norman 20 hours ago

HOME DEPOT made nearly $13 B in profits in the covid year ending Jan. 31st. The pandemic has been great for sales. It’s not because HD grew—it only added 5 new stores. More people working from home = more DIY customers. Pandemic = healthy profits. https://t.co/10v9jr23r0

Read More
Al Norman 2 days ago

DEAD ON ARRIVAL: “WMT’s board of directors approved a plan in November 2018 to build 4,000 [health]clinics by 2029...to become ‘America's neighborhood health destination.’” They pulled the plug. https://t.co/QMmOo1h9nK

Read More

Ⓒ 2020 - All Rights Are Reserved

Design and Development by Just Peachy Web Design

Download Our Free Guide

Download our Free Guide

Learn How To Stop Big Box Stores And Fulfillment Warehouses In Your Community

The strategies written here were produced by Sprawl-Busters in 2006 at the request of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), mainly for citizen groups that were fighting Walmart. But the tips for fighting unwanted development apply to any project—whether its fighting Dollar General, an Amazon warehouse, or a Home Depot.

Big projects, or small, these BATTLEMART TIPS will help you better understand what you are up against, and how to win your battle.