Wal-Mart: The End is Near

The seemingly endless saga of Wal-Mart’s expansion in Chico is about to come to an end. Really.

On July 30th the Planning Commission, having heard hours of comments from all parties and the public, rendered its decision on Wal-Mart’s proposed expansion into a Supercenter. The Commission found the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) inadequate, and therefore denied certification of the EIR and denied the project. Wal-Mart has stated they intend to appeal that decision to the City Council. The official resolution denying the project will be presented to the Commission at the next Planning Commission meeting on August 20th. The deadline for filing an appeal is ten days later, on August 30th. After that a definite hearing date will be set for the City Council to schedule a hearing.

The EIR had multiple inadequacies, many of which were discussed in detail at the last Commission meeting. Chico Advocates for a Responsible Economy (CARE) is now gearing up for discussion with individual members of the Council. CARE believes the decision reached by the Planning Commission was the only decision they could reach with the facts presented by the EIR. However, the Council will be heavily lobbied by those in favor of the expansion, to overturn the decision.

The only way to ensure the end of this saga is to make your voice heard by contacting Council members and attending the upcoming City Council hearing. For more information on how you can help, contact CARE at info@chicocares.org or write to CARE, P.O. Box 7647, Chico CA 95927.

From the Summer 2009 issue of the Environmental News.