2005-03-13
Chandler, AZ. Wal-Mart Drops Plan For Superstore--Again.

The residents of Chandler, Arizona have gotten used to Wal-Mart's on-and-off attitude. In the past two years, Wal-Mart has pulled out of two Chandler projects, after a developer has spent months working on the project. The latest withdrawal comes from the so-called "Riggs Gateway" project, which Newsflash reported on December 15, 2004. This week Wal-Mart told The Arizona Republic, "We're not going to move forward to build a store at that particular location. We are reassessing our options to determine what is in the best interests of our customers." The newspaper described Chandler as a city "beleaguered by announcements of Wal-Mart sites, objections from neighbors, and flurries of public relations campaigns." Chandler certainly does not need more Wal-Marts. There are two already approved or under construction, and a third already open. This week's announcement makes two locations that Wal-Mart has ditched, and last year they pulled out of a project as well. In each case, local residents fought doggedly to stop the stores. The Riggs Gateway project was offered by a developer called Diversified Partners. It now looks as though they have lost their partner, much to the delight of area residents.

What you can do: For earlier stories on this community, search Newsflash by "Chandler", and go to www.riggsgateway.com to see the citizen's perspective on this proposal.