Wal-Mart still eyeing large stores in Galt and Lodi

Although Wal-Mart has not been making headlines recently in Lodi and Galt, it is still working to build new stores in both cities.

The Galt Wal-Mart is in the planning process, while Lodi's project has been approved but is in the legal arena.

The Lodi City Council passed the project in March, but Wal-Mart has not moved forward with obtaining permits because it has not received approval from a San Joaquin Superior Court judge.

The company wants to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter in a 13-building, 340,000-square-foot project on the southwest corner of Kettleman Lane and Lower Sacramento Road. Wal-Mart and Browman Development Company need to get court approval because of a previous court decision.

In 2005, the council approved the Lodi Shopping Center. Then, a San Joaquin Superior Court judge stopped the project by ruling in favor of a complaint filed by Lodi First about the project's environmental reports. The organization has continued to oppose Wal-Mart throughout the process.

Wal-Mart was required to redo certain parts of the environmental impact report. Judge Elizabeth Humphreys, who struck down the original environmental reports, must sign off on the revised report.

Besides Lodi First, Citizens for Open Government also is suing over the project.

City Attorney Steve Schwabauer said he believes the city has resolved a dispute with Citizens for Open Government. Schwabauer and Citizens for Open Govermnet attorney Donald Mooney had been arguing over what documents and evidence could be submitted to the court.

Mooney said the next step for his client is to file opening documents this week. He said the court has a hearing scheduled for Jan. 25 to decide on the merits of the case.

In Galt, Wal-Mart is working with city staff on environmental reports to build a 132,000-square-foot store on Twin Cities Road, east of Highway 99.

The store would sell groceries but be smaller than the company's Supercenters, which are usually more than 200,000 square-feet.

The Sacramento-based firm Raney Planning and Management is the consultant hired to do the draft environmental impact report.

While there is no definitive timeline yet, the report should be before the public for review by the end of the year, said Angie Stoner, a company spokeswoman.

In the meantime, Wal-Mart has worked on community outreach by meeting with elected officials and business leaders, Stoner said. Once the draft report is released, Stoner said Wal-Mart will have additional meetings with residents in neighborhood communities. The city will also have several meetings where members of the public will be able to comment on the plan.

The proposed site is the company's second choice. Wal-Mart originally planned to be part of a 400,000-square-foot shopping center east of Highway 99 between Boessow and Simmerhorn roads. When that project fell apart, the retailer purchased the property on Twin Cities.

Contact reporter Maggie Creamer at maggiec@lodinews.com or read her blog at www.lodinews.com/blogs/citybuzz.

Reader Feedback

Jason J wrote on Nov 15, 2009 1:59 PM:

" WDBDGDAD, actually, most of the video is interviews with current and past employee's, past store managers, a former head supervisor in chaege of overseeing compliance operations in central & S. America, and interviews with chinese (slaves) working for the factories in China who are forced to pay rent whether or not they lived in the dorms. The video shows long time small business owners who were forced out after Wal-Mart landed in their towns. The illegal immigration is a huge problem but obviouslt the biggest corp. in the USA promotes use of government programs. Wal-Mart was accused of hiring illegal immigrants during the night to clean their stores. They would lock those illegal workis inside. How can the biggest corp. in the United States not afford to pay their employee's a livable wage so they can contribute as tax payers instead of government program depleters? "

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WDBDGDAD wrote on Nov 14, 2009 7:23 AM:

" "Jason" You watched an anti Wal-Mart propaganda video and take it as gospel. I agree that greed is the problem, but it is most of corporate America, not just Wal-Mart. They are all taking jobs to China, Mexico,or any place else to pay cheaper wages and sell their junk back here to increase their profits. Go into any store in Lodi or anywhere else see what you can find made in this country. As for our tax dollars and the government handout programs, not all Wal-Mart employees are on them and not all of the people on them are Wal-Mart employees. Take a look at the 13 million ILLEGAL ALIENS That are filling our schools, hospitals, and jails, sucking us dry. That's a much bigger problem than Wal-Mart! "

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Jason J wrote on Nov 13, 2009 6:19 AM:

" wdbdgdad, I have never worked for a grocery store or a union job. Wal-Mart has a bad rep for their poor work ethics and enviromental impact. You may agree to pay all the government programs i've listed in a previous post to those under-paid employee's of Wall-Hell, but I don't think tax payers should pay their bills when the largest corp. in the USA brings in huge profits every years. It's called greed! If your family is happy working at Wal-Mart then good for them! I just hope they aren't collecting from any government program or receiving a child tax credit. "

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wdbdgdad wrote on Nov 12, 2009 7:45 PM:

" "Jason" You sound like a union grocery store worker or a member of "Lodi First" (who by the way I have asked but never Told who they are or where they get their money). I do have a son in law who works for Wal-Mart who likes it just fine. My wife and grand daughter both do or have worked for other national retail companies and can tell you from experience one was better and others are a lot worse. The only reasons people pick on Wal-Mart is because they are the biggest target or they don't want the competition. I would suggest that you not be so arrogant and learn both sides of the story. Build it and let the people choose where they want to shop!!! "

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jason j wrote on Nov 12, 2009 8:43 AM:

" alf, let me start by saying anyone is welcome to comment stories on the LNS website; however, as a reader and commenter myself, I would ask that no kids comment with first knowing both sides of the debate. That said, all I can do is laugh at your uneducated post. "

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alf wrote on Nov 11, 2009 11:28 PM:

" walmart is on the way. deal with it. they provide jobs, revenue to the city, a place to shop. walmart is not holding a gun to any of their employees. if you do not like your job, leave. simple as that. want more than what is being offered. leave. go find that place. bring it on. bring walmart to galt. bring superwalmart to lodi. woohoo. as for the film, who cares. bunch of hogwash from the makers of al gores movie. lol. "

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Scrutiny wrote on Nov 10, 2009 6:00 PM:

" Actually Jason, at this point in time, the average Wal_mart worker that has been employed by the company for 1 year has, on average, better pay and better health care benefits than the average union store member has at the 1 year point. "

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RaiderHater wrote on Nov 10, 2009 5:55 PM:

" They'll be talking about this for another 10 years... it isn't going to happen. "

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Jason J wrote on Nov 10, 2009 4:44 PM:

" ordinarycitizen, sounds like you work for Wal-Mart. Perhaps once the good paying union grocery store jobs that offer benefits are gone, they should go for for minimum wage at Wal-Mart? Keep in mind how much Wal-Mart costs tax payers to pay for their employee's Medicaid, Section 8 housing, Food Stamps, Child Tax Credit's, WIC.. not to mention the tax breaks subsidiaries and only Wal-Mart gets granted on our dime! It's so sick how much money Wal-Mart makes, yet can't supply their employee's with a livable wage and affordable health coverage. "

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ordinarycitizen wrote on Nov 10, 2009 4:18 PM:

" Actually, building a Wal-Mart supercenter on the East side of town wouldn't be a bad idea because they really do need a good shopping center - they really don't have that many great places to shop. K-Mart is ok, and then the Mexican grocery store - which I don't understand why all of their signs are in Spanish and not in English. I have never been there for several reasons, and one is the fact it's all in Spanish and I don't speak or read Spanish. Anyways, it seems as if building a supercenter where all of the now defunct car lots now stand would be a much better idea that in prime agricultural land. Personally, in this economy, I think the lot on Kettleman Ln would be an ideal place for a community vegetable garden co-op - have sustainable gardens and the community can come and grow their own veggies and herbs. Now, before you say mean and nasty things re: my opinion, remember, it's just that, my opinion. "

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KenH wrote on Nov 10, 2009 4:15 PM:

" Wal-Mart isn't just the only store that has bad business ethics too...every business, whether large or small has skeletons in their closet, that includes stores such as Wal-Mart all the way down to a shop in Downtown Lodi on Church street "

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Jason J wrote on Nov 10, 2009 3:07 PM:

" All I have to say to all of you that want the Wal-Mart devil to expand into a supercenter is to go out and buy or rent the DVD, released in 2005, "Wal-Mart: The high cost of low price" "

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T & C wrote on Nov 10, 2009 2:50 PM:

" The BIG grocery chains will "Stall" Wal-Mart Super-center for as many years as possible, which as a coincidence means their "Profits" off the Lodi families will continue. To them, its just "Good Business to stall Wal-Mart Super-center for as many years as possible.

I am surprised they aren't trying to say that the "Fire" on the proposed Super-center property, should be designated a "Endangered wildlife habitat" because of all the mice and crickets that died! "

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southeaster wrote on Nov 10, 2009 2:31 PM:

" I'll just bet there wouldn't be such an uproar if Walmart wanted to build on the east side of Lodi. "

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iambic grape stomp wrote on Nov 10, 2009 10:46 AM:

" Twin Cities Road?! Next they'll just pave the Cosumnes Preserve. Bad idea. Bad, bad idea. Unnecessary, gratuitous, and frightening. "

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