The odds were against us. It's been an epic three year battle with many ups and downs, with wal mart using every underhanded tactic at their disposal, but with a grass-roots effort, it appears my town of 6,000 has beaten the fuckers! It's unfortunate that so many communities let themselves be steamrolled by the Wal Mart machine, but they are well practiced at overwhelming the resources of small towns with their legal and PR tactics. I feel lucky to live in Hood River, where my neighbors wouldn't let that happen!
From the HR News:
Retail giant down for count?
By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer
October 15
Wal-Mart has been defeated for a third, and possibly final, time in its bid to build a super center in Hood River.
On Wednesday, local officials were notified that the Oregon Court of Appeals had upheld the county’s denial of plans for the 186,000 square foot store. That development was proposed for 16 acres of commercial land at the junction of Frankton and Country Club roads.
“We’re gratified that the court supported the county’s authority in regard to this matter. We felt all along that in the end we would prevail,” said David Meriwether, county administrator.
Wal-Mart officials said they were still conferring about what their next step of action would be.
“We are not only disappointed in the Court of Appeals decision but surprised they did not offer an explanation on such an important decision,” said Eric Berger, Wal-Mart spokesperson.
Meriwether credited the latest victory to the prevailing efforts of county attorney Will Carey, city attorney Alexandra Sosnkowski and Citizens for Responsible Growth, a local activist group.
Sosnkowski said the city had always contended that the “big box” application could not meet “compatibility” design standards. She said the immensity of the structure made it impossible to blend with the surrounding viewscape as required by planning criteria. She and other city officials were pleased that both the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) and the higher court agreed with their stance.
“It was very satisfying to know that a big corporation like Wal-Mart couldn’t force us to do something we didn’t want to do,” she said.
The county board turned down Wal-Mart’s site plan in early January for two reasons:
* It would be two to three times larger than any other structure in the area.
* Development of the site with a 12-acre paved parking lot near Phelps Creek could bring flooding to downstream properties.
Wal-Mart then appealed that verdict to LUBA, whose three attorneys agreed with the county’s decision. LUBA did not choose to address the concerns over flooding because it had already denied the retail giant’s plans on the compatibility issue.
Carey and Sosnkowski said the Court of Appeals affirmed LUBA’s decision without any discussion. Therefore, they believe it will be difficult for Wal-Mart to get the Oregon Supreme Court to even hold a hearing.
“The legal defense effort of the county, city and CRG did an excellent job of bringing forward successful arguments,” Sosnkowski said.
