Nothing has attracted as much attention at the Chico City Council lately as the debate over whether to expand the Wal-Mart store into a Supercenter. Basically, that means adding groceries and an expanded lawn and garden center. This store would expand by about 80,000 square feet. I’ve shopped at Wal-Mart Supercenters in Anderson, and in other states. They also often include a hair salon and other expanded services. In the last couple of years, I’ve produced 2 special reports on the pros and cons of Wal-Mart Supercenters in North State communities. I’ve looked at the stores in Anderson, Marysville and Yuba City. I’ve looked at the impact on sales tax revenues for cities, and the impacts on smaller businesses. One of the businesses I profiled, the Ben Franklin in Anderson, went out of business last year. The city of Anderson said the new Wal-Mart was great for their sales tax revenue.
Some people love the stores, some people hate them. No matter where you go, the name Wal-Mart attracts controversy. Which is why the delay in the Chico project is not surprising. The city is talking to Wal-Mart about additional concessions and will take up the issue at a council meeting in November.
This project has been about 7 years in the making since the plans started. Sounds like a long time, right? But I checked with neighboring towns, and several other Wal-Mart Supercenter projects are also in the works. The project was approved by the city council in Red Bluff, but is now tied up in the courts after about 5 years of planning. Other projects are various stages in Willows, Oroville, Redding & Paradise. The lesson here is, even if it’s approved, don’t expect to see the store in Chico expand anytime soon. A court battle awaits.
One city manager told me that Wal-mart plans for such opposition, and builds it into their timeline and expenses. So which side do you fall down on? Would you like to see Wal-Mart expand in the North State? Or do you say no? Why is Wal-Mart so much more controversial than Costco or other big box stores? Curious to hear your thoughts,
Thanks for reading and watching,
Kelli Saam
