The local take on Wal-Mart withdrawl
I was grinning ear to ear while being interviewed. Now maybe I can get back to timber framing.
Wal-Mart rethinks plans for Moscow
Retailer moving forward with Pullman super center on Bishop Boulevard
By Omie Drawhorn, Daily News staff writer
Published: 06-16-2006
Wal-Mart has shelved plans for a highly debated super center — for the time being.
“We are re-evaluating opportunities for a super center in Moscow,” said Karianne Fallow, spokeswoman for Wal-Mart in Boise. “While we’re fully committed to serving our customers on the Palouse, we can’t continue to delay our relocation plans at this time.”
Wal-Mart’s decision follows the Moscow City Council’s May 15 denial of a rezone application for a 77-acre parcel in east Moscow on South Mountain View Road between the Troy Highway and East Palouse River Drive.
A rezone would have opened the door for the super center and other large-scale retail development.
“We can’t continue to face guessing games with procedure process,” Fallow said of the City Council’s decision. Wal-Mart could have appealed the decision to District Court.
Wal-Mart will continue to operate its store in west Moscow, and plans for the super center on Bishop Boulevard in Pullman are well under way, Fallow said.
She said Wal-Mart continues to view Pullman and Moscow as two distinct markets, and Wal-Mart will keep an eye out for alternative sites in the area.
“There are thousands of supporters in Moscow who want to see a super center,” she said.
When asked if Wal-Mart is viewing the Hawkins Development across the border in Whitman County as an option, Fallow said the company is “still evaluating the opportunities available to us.”
Fallow said she appreciates the strong public involvement at packed City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission public hearings. “Assuming it’s balanced, it’s a very good thing,” she said.
Some people may view Wal-Mart’s decision as a good thing, but they shouldn’t be too quick to celebrate, Fallow said.
“It’s a major loss for the community.”
But Nils Peterson, a member of Moscow No Super Wal-Mart, an advocacy group battling the retail giant, was delighted with the announcement.
“I’m pleased to hear it,” he said. “Continuing sprawl on the east side of Moscow was the wrong way to go.”
The group will celebrate the Moscow City Council’s decision to reject the rezone, and now Wal-Mart’s decision to forego an appeal, tonight at 7 p.m. at the 1912 Center. The public is invited.
Omie Drawhorn can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 234, or by e-mail at odrawhorn@dnews.com.