I was wondering if any of you have ever had to deal with a large corporation trying to have parts of your residential neighborhood rezoned for commercial. I live in a watershed community and there is a Sam's off the main drag that backs up to the less developed part of our neighborhood. Damage was caused to the ecosystem of a nearby lake when they moved in. Now they want to closed it tear it down and build a SUPER center. It would rezone most of the undeveloped area for parking lot. Just curious if any of you have been in a similar situation and if there was anything that you learned that can save me some footwork. Thanks!

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The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

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<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

Your best bet would be action through local politicians. A big issue for Toronto residents during the recent provincial election was watershed being destroyed by construction. Some (many?) people voted for the current premier because he promised to stop the construction. Unfortunately, it looks like he's gone back on his promise already:

http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet.../TPEnvironment/

You could always get that crazy Florida writer involved (the one who always kills developers in his books? Shit, what's his name!?!)

Don't know but the meeting is tonight so we are just gonna push for the decision to be continued til January because the neighborhood was only notified last week.

__________________

The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

This is my experience with such matters.

1) If your city/town council is pro-development at any cost you are in real problems. But they are elected to there position.
2) Check to see if an environmental assessment needs to be done because of its proximity to a stream or waterway.
3) Traffic flow projections. Many streets and feeder roads are not designed for large developments. The development can be stopped because the city is not planning on increasing the road capacity. Look up US Case Law history. I know there is a case where home owners took their city council to court and won. It was based on the premise that the city council knew that the existing road system was not adequate for the intended development but they approved the development anyways. Someone got hurt and suited All infrastructure needs to be in place before the store opens.
4) Local protest. If enough people sign a petition of protest/boycott, the development might not go ahead.
5) Most big box stores have a front company do all of the re-zoning. This is to deflect any negative PR from the store itself. Do some research on who the developer is and ask for past projects they have managed. Find out what there history. Do they do what they say they are going to do or is it fluff until the permit is issued?
6) If you win, do not stop. Create a community development plan. Then any future projects will have to conform to the development plan.

Good luck.

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Wallmart's are famous for this kind of activity, and they are very good at it. The best chance you stand is in making noise. Enough people making enough noise (and not being afraid to let those in charge know that if it goes through...they will be gone with the next election) can make developers look elsewhere just because it's not "easy". If you have an environmental position to stand on, it's pretty much bulletproof. Traffic flow patterns can be adjusted, but it does cost money. Make sure your town officials know that you, as a taxpayer, won't support their spending town money to fix any traffic problems. The thing is to make it so inconvenient for developers that they look elsewhere. And town officials in elected positions love attention, but they love being in office too. If they know that the choice they make to let superplazas run rampant will seal their fate for public office, they'll be more apt to chicken out and do what they need to do to stay in their position of power. Either way you look at it, gather people and attend every meeting with vim and vigor.

__________________
Though I am different from you,
We were born involved in one another.

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.

Complete surrender should not just come at moments in which one faces overwhelming odds, but in the calm when it seems one is personally in complete control of one's life.

Well it got continued til Dec. 9th. In the mean time the neighborhood group has a pro bono environmental lawyer and an environmentalist who specializes in fragile watersheds
* crosses her fingers and makes more phone calls*

__________________

The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

Good point, campingboy.

I've spent several years covering city council shenanigans. I had a really good working relationship with the councils I covered. If you call the local paper and speak with the person who covers council, you'll find you can get a lot of information from them (they'll get a story out of it so that'll scratch both backs). City councillors call reporters back without fail.

I have spoken with my county commisssioner and he is against the development. But I knew he would be or else I would not have voted for him.

What is most aggravating is that they are trying to tap into my neighborhood's development plan. The change in the ordinance would insinuate that Walmart was actually planned as a part of my tiny 2 block neighborhood.

We have a person in our neighborhood who works for the most popular radio station in our area and have access to the most popular morning DJ. We are told the word will get out

__________________

The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

The likely issues that you can fight them on are:

- Water (they would use too much of it)
- Traffic (they would cause too much)
- Environmental impact (the development would materially adversly impact the environment)
- Not consistent with the broader community ( you dont have or want that type of merchant)

One strategy is to drag the approval process out with traffic studies, enviromental impact studies (EIRs) and public meetings. As you increase the costs the company's desire to proceed will decline.

Send me a private message if you want more information.

Good luck

Ray


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If love is blind why is lingerie so popular

Thanks! I will definitely speak with the others about the traffic approach. The county just restructured the roads there and there still are no lights.The Walmart would require left turns into really steady traffic.

__________________

The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

Lot of good advice and I'm not really qualified to add more, but I can wish you the best of luck. Sure hope it all goes in your favor.

(Don't think it'd help to tell them there's a lot of "Pixies" on your side, do you? )

Monday I start plastering my car with slogans. At least people will take notice!!!

__________________

The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

scour www.walmartwatch.com

zillions of people have had the same problem

but not me personally

Good luck, Lil. Hope things work out for you. Our town is being invaded by WM as well and the funny thing is, I've yet to talk to anyone who is glad they're coming. There's plenty in the area without adding more. They're just trying to drive out their competitors (I believe).

The little town I lived last year just got a Walmart and they all love it! It's like they hit the jackpot or something.