By Bill Zeeble, KERA 90.1 reporter
Dallas, TX – Bill Zeeble, KERA 90.1 reporter: Wal-Mart originally pitched its 218,000 square-foot superstore to the City's Plan Commission in July. The commission voted 15-to-nothing against it, saying the store was simply too big and inappropriate for the 11-acre site. But at yesterday's council meeting, Wal-Mart's Senior Vice President Eric Zorn said the company had fixed the problems.
Eric Zorn, Senior Vice President, Wal-Mart: One of the more important changes deals with noise. The trash compactor and grocery compressors have been moved inside, which is unusual for us. Also, we've agreed to enclose our loading dock. Finally, we've agreed to build a 12-foot masonry wall on that side of the project.
Zeeble: Half the audience in the packed, 250-person City Council chamber though, wasn't buying it. Increased crime and traffic were just some of the problems, according to Ronnie Holman.
Ronnie Holman, Dallas citizen: Wal-Mart has proposed a number of changes, but they're inconsequential. They've reduced the retail square footage in the building from 218-thousand to 206-thousand square feet, yet the big box on stilts will remain 330-housand square feet which provides a foot print large enough to cover two Dallas city halls with room left over.
Zeeble: For the other half of the people in the chamber however, a giant neighborhood Wal-Mart was just what they wanted. Not only would it bring jobs, but Reverend Tommie McGhee praised the store's low prices and convenience, especially for his older parishioners in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Reverend Tommie McGhee: We have no desire for this Wal-Mart to be anywhere else. I've had it said to me, we'll find you another place. What's wrong with our place? Is our neighborhood not good enough, Madame Mayor? We want it. I'm here because they can't afford Simon David and Eckerd's Drugs. (applause)
Zeeble: Reverend McGhee's neighbor Joyce Lockley however, rejected what she perceived as the divide-and-conquer strategy devised by the retail giant. A former Plan Commissioner, she said she'd lived in the broadly diverse neighborhood for decades and loved it.
Joyce Lockley: Through all these years, our neighborhoods have worked together in harmony, with no divisiveness. To promote its zoning case, Wal-Mart has undertaken an expensive public relations campaign. It has used tactics aimed at driving wedges between people based on race, ethnicity, and economics. Where we had diversity, we now have divisiveness, untruths, and distrust between neighbors that will take years to repair.
Zeeble: This problem deeply concerned councilwoman Veletta Lill, who represents the Love Field district. But she said the seemingly complex issue was actually a fairly simple one about zoning.
Veletta Lill, Dallas City Council member: Unfortunately, the site and neighborhood would be smothered by this land use. I've asked repeatedly for 100-thousand square feet. That is larger than any grocery store in the Metroplex. It is still bigger. Think if you would want to live next door to a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week use, immediately adjacent to your home.
Zeeble: After more than an hour of discussion, council members followed Lill's lead. Like the Plan Commission, they too rejected Wal-Mart's proposal, 15-to-nothing. But not before Councilman Don Hill urged the divided community to come back together.
Don Hill, Dallas City Council member: The people that want the Wal-Mart want it for good, legitimate reasons. The people that don't want it, want it for good, legitimate reasons. Since both of you are reasonable, rational groups of people, you all ought to be able to leave this room and be able to get along.
Zeeble: They will try, knowing a Super Wal-Mart will probably never be built on the site. Wal-Mart's Eric Zorn said he was profoundly disappointed by the vote.
Zorn: We thought they would reconsider and possibly remand it back to the Planning Commission. After looking at everything we already researched, we knew there was no alternative today to get us a building big enough to support the economics involved in the project.
Zeeble: Under city policy, Wal-Mart must wait two years before trying anything on the site again. Meanwhile, the company runs other Dallas stores, and is developing several approved sites in south Dallas. But it's not interested in any other north Dallas location. For KERA 90.1, I'm Bill Zeeble.
To contact Bill Zeeble, please send emails to bzeeble@kera.org.