[Vision2020] no superwalmart -- Tribune report

[Tom Hansen]

Thanks for posting the article, Bill.

 

It is refreshing to realize that for the time being Moscow is NOT part of
the . . .

 

"Wal-Mart Nation"

http://www.tomandrodna.com/Sounds/WalMart_Nation.mp3

 

We will simply have to limit ourselves to the one outlet for . . .

 

"Wal-Mart Specials"

http://www.tomandrodna.com/Sounds/WalMart_Specials.mp3

 

Seeya round town, Moscow.

 

Tom Hansen

Moscow, Idaho

 

 "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways, chocolate in one hand, a drink in the other, body thoroughly used
up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO. What a ride!'"

  _____  

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Bill London
Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006 3:10 PM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Cc: Mark Solomon
Subject: [Vision2020] no superwalmart -- Tribune report

 


Wal-Mart shelves Moscow super center






By ELAINE WILLIAMS
of the Tribune

Wal-Mart has put plans for a super center in Moscow on the back burner. 

Wal-Mart will not pursue a location on the southeast corner of Mountain View
Road and Highway 8, east of a former Tidyman's site and near Eastside
Marketplace, said Karianne Fallow, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart in Boise. 

"Wal-Mart has decided to re-evaluate our opportunities for a super center in
Moscow,'' Fallow said in a Thursday announcement. 

"While we're fully committed to continuing to serve our customers on the
Palouse, we can't continue to delay our relocation plans at this time,''
Fallow said. 

Wal-Mart will continue to operate its existing Moscow store, Fallow said. 

Wal-Mart will also seek to open a 223,000-square-foot super center on Bishop
Boulevard in Pullman, Fallow said. 

That project has been appealed by Pullman Alliance for Responsible
Development in Whitman County Superior Court. 

And Wal-Mart will also look for alternative super center sites in Moscow,
Fallow said. "We still continue to view Pullman and Moscow as two very
distinct markets.'' 

Fallow said Wal-Mart has no plans to build a super center in Lewiston at
this time. Rumors about such a store have been circulating in Lewiston for
months. 

Wal-Mart's decision is directly related to action taken by the Moscow City
Council last month, Fallow said. 

The panel rejected a request to rezone 77 acres from agriculture-forestry to
motor business, a designation that could have opened the door for a number
of big-box retailers on the site. 

At the time, the council indicated that a rezone request for a lesser amount
of property might be acceptable. 

But Wal-Mart isn't interested in following up, Fallow said. "The city
council has continually changed the rules of the game. And creating a
guessing game for any kind of development is a very expensive endeavor.'' 

First the land needed to be rezoned and then how much needed to be rezoned
wasn't clear, Fallow said. 

Then it wasn't possible for the store plans to be reviewed before the rezone
and other parts of the process were settled, Fallow said. 

Attempts to reach the city's elected officials Thursday afternoon by e-mail
were not successful. All of them were out of town, most of them attending
the Idaho Association of Cities conference in Lewiston. 

"We certainly respect the decision Wal-Mart has made,'' said Bill Belknap,
assistant city supervisor. "We wish them the best in their endeavors.'' 

Mark Solomon, a coordinator of No Super Wal-Mart, said Moscow already has
the services a Wal-Mart would have provided at its own store and in
retailers owned by Palouse residents. 

"It's great news that the most predatory retailer on the planet won't be
gaining any larger presence in Moscow,'' Solomon said. 

Solomon's group already had a party planned for 7 p.m. tonight at the 1912
Center in Moscow to mark the previous zoning decision of the city council.
"There will be additional cause to celebrate Moscow's vitality,'' Solomon
said. 

But Fallow said it's wrong for Moscow residents to view her employer's
decision as a victory. "With a super center comes additional jobs,
additional tax revenue. You name it, there are a lot of benefits to having a
super center in the city.'' 

Solomon disagreed. Wal-Mart jobs replace better paying ones in existing
local businesses, Solomon said. 

------ 

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam at lmtribune.com or at (208) 743-9600,
ext. 261. 

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