Dig, if you will, this picture:
You live in a small town of around 3500 people. Your town council fastracked a proposal to build one of those big box stores for you to shop at. The store has been built, employees hired and shipments of products have arrived to be sold.
Life is grand. Employment will go up, as will tax revenues for your burg.
Except for the fact that a small minority of people who live primarily outside of the town, owning second or third homes there have found a judge to stop the grand opening.
Because it will ruin, what they perceive, as the “town charm”.
Chelan Wal-Mart built, but will it ever open?
About two weeks from now, Wal-Mart was supposed to celebrate a grand opening here, ushering in a new era in retail shopping — and big changes for this scenic tourist town on the lake.
The shelves are still being stocked. Construction workers are gluing up trim and decking the food court in plastic plants. And some 200 new employees are ready to go to work.
But it’s quite possible the big celebration is off. A county judge last week delivered a giant legal victory to a small group of local opponents of the 162,000-square-foot big-box behemoth, agreeing that the project violated the city’s zoning rules.
Now they aren’t just talking about stopping the grand opening. Some people are talking about tearing the whole thing down.
The outsiders who filed the suit are claiming that when they bought their houses in the area, they were told that no big-box stores would ever be built here. Who told them this is yet to be determined (previous owner, retailer, pixie charm dust distributor, etc), but they contend it was the town council.
“This was a bait-and-switch on the part of the city and Wal-Mart,” said Kathy George, a Seattle lawyer who represents the opponents. “The city told the public this was going to be a nice business park with buildings up to 50,000 square feet, and that it would be good for jobs. It skated through the process with hardly any public concern. Years later, we get a 162,000-square-foot store.”
For Laurel Jamtgaard, who heads the group that has managed to raise all of $15,000 for the cause, the issue is fundamentally about protecting the town’s charm.
“It is just so out of scale for a small community,” Jamtgaard said. “I’m totally empathetic to people trying to buy goods at lower prices and tired of driving to Wenatchee or Omak. But every small town doesn’t have to have one of these stores. Part of living in a place like this is being further from that kind of convenience.”
Now the group plans to ask the judge to send the permits back to the city, and yank the temporary occupancy permit Wal-Mart has been using to stock the store, hire employees and get ready for opening day.
So instead of getting three or four buildings of 50K square feet, they got one of 162K. I’m failing to see why it would make much of a difference. But then again, I don’t hate Wal-Mart with a passion.
I do thoroughly enjoy the condescention from the group’s leader, Laurel Jamtgaard, and his “empathy” for the people who are willing to drive the 43 miles to Wenatchee or the 57 miles to Omak to save a little extra cash.
Of course, he makes no mention of the 200 or so locals who would now be employed locally, OR of the influx of tax dollars from both the locals and from the tourists and others passing through Chelan, shopping at the only all-in-one store within 100 miles.
Probably because he couldn’t give a rat’s ass about them. He wants his “Charm”.
No need to imagine, I’ve lived it. I live in Avon at the base of the Beaver Creek ski mountain. Avon is a small town of 3000 or so, with another 12000 or more in the county. The Beaver Creek homeowners pitched a bitch when we wanted to put in a Super Wal-Mart which would have and has raised average wages and provided cheap goods to an area with an astronomical cost of living. Of course, it’s fun to go the Wal-Mart and see the occasional Astin Martin or Ferrari in the parking lot. Oh, and every good thing that a Wal-Mart can do (i.e. more employment, higher tax base, etc.) has been proven again here in Avon with not one of the “Ma and Pa” stores going out of business.
Scratch a little deeper on the plaintiff in the lawsuit, as well as the judge. Once their veneer is removed, underneath you will find a dyed-in-the-wool liberal democrat in each case.
This anti-Walmart campaign is a Donk thing, pure and simple.
There’s an easy test. Find the biggest “natural” foods retailer in your area, and write a letter to the editor of your local rag and mention that you heard a rumor to the effect that they want to build a Walmart-sized store in the town. Don’t mention Walmart. The same people who opposed Walmart will gush over the prospects of having another place to buy free-range chicken and contented cow meat with no NBST or whatever in it.
It’s not about the charm, it’s about the politics, and if you don’t believe me, look at stories about nixed Walmarts in the Hillsboro Argus or Gresham Outlook, both suburban Portland, Oregon papers which can be accessed online.
Charm? Chelan? What a joke!
If it was a Costco there wouldn’t be the slightest problem. Costco donates almost entirely to liberal politicians. Walmart supports Conservative politicians.
….. Mr. C.
“It is just so out of scale for a small community,†Jamtgaard said. “I’m totally empathetic to people trying to buy goods at lower prices and tired of driving to Wenatchee or Omak. But every small town doesn’t have to have one of these stores. Part of living in a place like this is being further from that kind of convenience.â€
Someone should tell him that’s fine if he wants to live away from that kind of convenience, but he’ll need to sell his house and go shit with the bears in the woods if he just wants to live away from the conveniences of civilization. What arrogance!
I’m shocked. How can you say “liberal” and “arrogance” in the same sentence?
You sir, stand accused of uttering a boldface oxymoron!
How do you plead in this Court of Common Sense?
I plead innocent by reason of insanity. If I hadn’t been driven nuts by liberal arrogance and hypocrasy years ago I wouldn’t have said what I did. I’ve seen this type of person who claims they love small towns or nature, but in truth is only selective in their love. They love getting away from big cities and asphalt, but they prefer air-conditioning and a comfortable seat to mesquite thorns, mosquitos, and mud. I used to camp with such types and found their sentiments amusing, but once they start getting into politics, their patchouli incense and pine-fresh scent does not cover up the stench of their hypocrasy & arrogance.
Also my pet attack-lawyer Rusty Shackleford wants to state I never said “liberal” in my last posting, and asks the judge to drop all charges. I suggest you do it, as I forgot to feed him this morning, and when his blood-sugar is low he goes into full-on Johnny Cochrane mode.