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meeting</title></head><body>
<div>After press deadline (@ 9:00 for the Trib) another two hours of
opposition testimony was given followed by a ten minute rebuttal from
the applicant. Public hearing was closed and deliberations set for the
next p&z meeting on March 8, 7:30 City Council Chambers. Mark the
date and come bear witness to the decision.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Mark Solomon</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>At 11:15 AM -0800 2/23/06, Bruce and Jean Livingston wrote:</div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial">So what happened after
press deadline? BDL</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>From today's Lewiston Morning
Tribune:</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> <br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+3"><b>Moscow rezone finds
few friends</b></font><br>
<font size="+3"><b></b></font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>By DAVID JOHNSON<br>
of the Tribune<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>MOSCOW -- Nobody mentioned Wal-Mart. But
a steady stream of people voiced their opposition Wednesday night to a
proposed zone change that could open the door for the world's largest
retailer to build a super center here.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>One man warned that "the nose of the
camel is in the tent" and urged members of the Moscow Planning
and Zoning Commission to recommend denial of an application to rezone
77 acres on the southeast corner of town to motor business.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Four people spoke in favor of the
rezone.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>By press time, commissioners were still
listening to opposition testimony at the public hearing and it
remained unclear whether a decision would be reached.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>"This is our home and we want to
defend it," Chris Norton of Moscow said, testifying against the
proposed zone change.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>"This location for a motor business
zone makes sense," said resident Shelley Bennett, a local
Realtor.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>The land is owned by the Gene Thompson
family and is currently being farmed. It's located directly across
from the Moscow City Cemetery adjacent to State Highway 8 and was
annexed last June as an extensive commercial site.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Shortly after, Wal-Mart announced
intentions to build a super center on the site. A conceptual plan
filed with the city shows, in addition to the Wal-Mart Supercenter,
the potential for two additional big box retailers and upward of a
dozen smaller retail stores on the site.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Jim Demeerleer, whose Furniture West
business lost it's retail site on the west side of town amid expansion
of Tri-State, said he welcomed a new place for motor business.
"Give businesses an opportunity to expand," he urged the
commissioners.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>But Bill Parks, a downtown businessman,
said a large motor business complex on the east side of Moscow would
all but kill the central business sector. He likened Moscow's downtown
to a garden dependent on a steady flow of vehicle traffic that would
be siphoned away by a large scale retail development.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>More than 100 people crammed their way
into the hearing, held in the Moscow City Council chamber. Many people
sat on the floor, or stood in the hallway as testimony was heard.
Chairman Jerry Schutz pounded his gavel a number of times to quiet the
crowd or admonish them to not react to testimony.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Schutz also let it be known that the
business at hand had everything to do with a proposed zone change, and
nothing to do with the possible arrival of any big box retailers. The
commission will forward its decision to the city council for final
consideration.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>John C. McCullough, a Seattle attorney
representing Spokane-based CLC Associates, spoke on behalf of the
Thompson family. He's the same attorney who -- through CLC --
represents Wal-Mart's attempts to build super centers in neighboring
Pullman and in Spokane.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>McCullough told the commissioners that
the proposed zone change is in accordance with the city's
comprehensive plan. "This is not an application for any
particular development or use," said McCullough. "It's
ideally located for a motor business zone."<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Joel Plaskon, the city's community
development director, recommended that the commissioners approve the
motor business zone change, at least for part of the 77 acres.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Members of a group called No Super
Wal-Mart have vowed to fight construction of a super center not just
at the zoning level, but throughout any development proposal. Unlike
neighboring Pullman, Moscow has a so-called big box store ordinance
that would require conditional use permits for any new retail store
over 45,000 square feet.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Wal-Mart Supercenters usually surpass
200,000 square feet. Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney has said the city
council may also consider the question of placing a size cap on big
box stores. All retail stores currently in town are under 100,000
square feet, according to officials.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
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