Communities Battle Big Boxes

Despite being outspent 12-to-1, a grassroots group campaigning against a plan to build a massive big-box complex in Mendocino County, California, won a decisive victory when voters rejected the project by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.

Developers Diversified Realty, one of the largest big-box developers in the country, spent  $1.2 million trying to persuade the county's 24,000 voters to green-light an 80-acre project slated to include up to 800,000 square feet of big-box stores just north of the town of Ukiah.

Opponents of the project, organized as Save Our Local Economy, raised just $92,000, but ran a smart, creative campaign that, over the course of several months, involved more than 400 volunteers. More

In a public hearing room crowded with more than 100 people, including dozens of local business owners standing alongside environmentalists, affordable housing advocates, and labor leaders, the city council of Santa Rosa, California, soundly defeated a proposed Lowe's store on a 5-2 vote.

For a city facing a sizable budget shortfall, it was a remarkable decision. The conventional wisdom, especially in California's sales tax-dependent and financially strapped cities, is that big-box retailers are cash-cows and those cities that do not welcome them with open arms will be left behind in the regional competition for revenue.

But the Santa Rosa council rejected that argument and instead endorsed the position of the GoLocal Cooperative, a county-wide coalition of local businesses and residents working localize the region's economy.  More

Not content to accept Wal-Mart's own impact study, a citizens group in Exeter, PA, has persuaded its town council to order an independent community impact analysis of the proposed development. More

A coalition of environmental and community groups are celebrating a recent San Bernardino County Superior Court judge's decision that invalidates Wal-Mart's environmental impact report (EIR), preventing a supercenter from locating in their community.

Judge Barry Plotkin spurned the faulty EIR, stating that the retail giant did not take adequate measures to mitigate its contribution to climate change and used a faulty market analysis when claiming the new store would have no negative impact on existing businesses. More

Since 2005, residents and local business owners have been working to block this large retail development from spoiling their vibrant, walkable, urban neighborhood, which is home to many immigrant-owned small businesses.

In late April, the developer backed out. More

Owen Sound, Ontario — Sticking up for its downtown businesses, the Owen Sound City Council derailed Wal-Mart’s plans to expand a current store into a supercenter. More

Silverthorne, CO — The hard work of the grassroots group, Summit County Independent Business Alliance (SIBA) is paying off, as area residents and media are increasingly vocal about protecting their local businesses and community from the potential detriments of a proposed Home Depot store. More

Plaistow, NH (March 18, 2009) - Thanks to a well-organized grassroots campaign, Plaistow residents voted down (80% opposed) a request by Wal-Mart to rezone residential property to make way for a supercenter. More

Leslieville, Ontario (March 13, 2009) - The grassroots group, East Toronto Community Coalition, was awarded for its efforts when the Ontario Municipal Board rejected a developer's plan to bring a big-box plaza to this Toronto neighborhood.

The decision by the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), which oversees municipal planning decisions in the region, to reject the request for rezoning by the developer, SmartCenters Inc. halted plans of bringing in a 700,000-square-foot big-box complex, with Wal-Mart rumored as the anchor. Agreeing with the group, the OMB found that rezoning the site would rid the city of valuable land suited to attract higher-end jobs. More

Blacksburg, VA (March 2, 2009) - The grassroots group, Blacksburg United for Responsible Growth (BURG), is celebrating a state Supreme Court decision that impedes Wal-Mart’s entry into its community. More