![]() |
||
![]() |
recent news List articles |
2007-01-20 The residents of Harrison, Ohio may get the final say over whether or not they get a Wal-Mart supercenter. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that yesterday the Hamilton County, Ohio Board of Elections voted that a referendum on the future of a Wal-Mart store proposed for Harrison can go before the voters on the May or November ballot. That effectively throws Wal-Mart's superstore plans 4 to 10 months off schedule. But this store is already years behind schedule. This controversial project has been in the headlines for several years. Sprawl-Busters reported on June 26, 2005, that the Harrison City Council rejected a zone change request to build a Wal-Mart SuperCenter. That vote came after a two-year battle against the retail giant. But six months ago, city officials in Harrison signed a "consent decree" with Wal-Mart, requiring the company to shrink the size of its store from 205,000 s.f. to 185,000 s.f., and to donate 20 acres of the 54 acre site to the city for a park. The agreement also called for Wal-Mart to put up $1.8 million towards the cost of a $6 million bridge to cross over Interstate 74. After the consent decree was announced, local opponents in Harrison began circulating a referendum petition, and got enough signatures to put the matter on the ballot. Wal-Mart promptly challenged the referendum before the County's Board of Elections -- but yesterday lost their appeal. Wal-Mart argued that the consent decree was an administrative matter, not a legislative matter, and that administrative matters are not subject to a referendum. But the citizen's group and their attorney prevailed. Wal-Mart's lawyer then announced that his client planned on appealing the decision to Hamilton County Court. What you can do: Harrison is a city with roughly 7,487 people in the last census. It has 9 Wal-Mart stores within 20 miles, including 7 supercenters. So no one has to wander far to find a Wal-Mart. A supercenter in Cincinnati is less than 13 miles away. Residents have been blocking this store for more than 3 years, and |
|
|
![]() info@sprawl-busters.com |
Voter Campaigns 21 Grinnell St, Greenfield ~ MA 01301 (413) 772-6289 |