A Super WalMart Would Be A Super Mistake

To the Editor:
I have attended many local government meetings. None are more boring than those of the Zoning and Planning Boards. The professionals would have it no other way. At one time an applicant would come to present his project to these panels of devoted citizens. They would consider if it was within the community’s concept. With professional advice they could approve, adjust or deny the applicant. But now the affluent applicant is surrounded by lawyers, engineers and planners. The legal and technical language abounds. Important stuff, like an opinion on magnifying an existing annoyance but without exacerbation (huh). Add to this, PowerPoint to the max. The basic question of if it fits, gets lost in all this grand presentation, just as it is meant to be.
Recently I was at such a meeting, giving up and going home after a few hours. It became apparent there would be no opportunity for public participation on this night. Seven professional articulators were here for a preliminary hearing for WalMart’s application to expand to a giant, colossal, knock out all the local competition, mega monster facility, or better known as a Super WalMart. You may believe this fits your pocket book but it won’t fit for our friends and family who still live in Rio Grande. The savings may be well mitigated as we pay for the services required by the new arrivals to our little town. As we stack up retail, those on the bottom collapse. We are not left then with just empty buildings, but our once gainfully employed neighbors are now added to the over burdened social service rolls. Shop Rite, a local landmark and respected employer comes to mind immediately. These strategies are a major part of this business concept to pay the least amount necessary. The assertions of WalMart employees being well paid are nonsense. For each that is well paid there are countless others who are not. The plan for project housing in this area goes hand in hand with these business models. Many of these employees are caused to need assistance.
Rio Grande is a horrible mix of residential and commercial slapped together without regard to the most basic planning strategies. Forget all the lovely language of town centers which was intended to prevent what has already taken place. All that will happen now will be to connect the dots of sprawl with high density development. This very site was a calamity at it’s inception. If the DOT had not stepped in, we would have total gridlock there today. As it is we have busy roads with no shoulders. Ask any emergency service provider what that is like to deal with. The articulators in action.
These tactics, right to threats of builder’s remedies and other lawsuits are really nothing more than attempts to intimidate the good citizens who serve on these panels. Though there are some who wish to advance their political ambitions, most who sit on these boards are truly there to serve. There are legal and engineering concerns to be considered and that is why we have paid professionals. The citizen members need to be mindful that if their decisions should be constrained to legal dictate only, there would be no need or purpose for them to sit as they do. They have the right and in fact the obligation to simply see if it fits and vote accordingly.
For these reasons I would ask those who are there to serve, to vote against this project which could be the final planning error to destroy an entire community.