Residents Split Over Proposed Walmart

The last time Walmart tried to open a new store in Elk Grove, some 4,000 residents fought it, and the discount retail giant backed down.

Although the latest attempt to build a second Elk Grove Walmart took a hit in court recently, some say the battle hasn’t been as fierce this time around.

 “This one has a little bit more of a split view,” Mayor Steven Detrick said of Walmart's plan for a store in the Madeira neighborhood. “You’re hearing from people who live close by and are concerned, but then there are other people in the community who like the idea of having a smaller Walmart near them.”

Still, some residents who didn’t mind a Target in the same location are up in arms over the expansion plans of , which already operates one store on Elk Grove Blvd near Highway 99.

“Target was a different store with different hours, a different operation and different products for sale,” said Peter Gaffney, who lives near the proposed store site. "Ultimately, what we’d like to see is a development that adds to the site, rather than detracts from the entire neighborhood.”

In 2005, Walmart submitted a proposal to build a 250,000-square-foot supercenter at Power Inn and Sheldon roads on land surrounded by homes and zoned for a neighborhood retail center—not one that would draw regional shoppers, said Detrick, who lived nearby and led the opposition.

The company withdrew its application, but the initial attempt launched Detrick’s political career and spawned a community coalition that still exists.

Walmart tried again in early 2009, this time opting for the southeast corner of Bruceville Road and Whitelock Parkway, property already approved for a 148,200-square-foot Target store.

Environmental impacts from the Vineyard at Madeira shopping center had already been analyzed as part of the Laguna Ridge Specific Plan, so when Target canceled its plans, Walmart stepped in with a proposal for a 99,585-square-foot store instead.

Former Planning Director Don Hazen approved the Walmart—without  any public hearings or new environmental studies—saying the proposal conformed to the already-approved Target.

It was one store replacing another, Detrick said.

“Since the impacts would be less, the entitlements went with the land, not with the name on the building,” Detrick said. “It didn’t have to go through the planning commission or city council, so there was nowhere to take the fight—except court.”

A group of nearby residents calling themselves Friends of Madeira did take it to court, and a Sacramento County Superior Court judge recently ruled in their favor.

“I’m quite elated,” said Gaffney, one of the residents who filed the lawsuit against Walmart and the city. “We’re all feeling vindicated...They tried to do an end-run around the process. I want the formal process to be followed, which is what the city should’ve done in the first place.”

Judge Lloyd G. Connelly ruled April 12 that Walmart’s intent to sell groceries differed substantially from the Target store. He set aside the city’s administrative approval, saying plans would have to go through a full, public review process.

Elk Grove Public Information Officer Christine Brainerd said officials are exploring their options.

Walmart officials are also reviewing the ruling, spokesperson Tiffany Moffatt said, adding that the company is still interested in building a second store in Elk Grove.

“Now more than ever, our Elk Grove customers are looking for an opportunity to save, and Walmart can serve as a part of the solution by providing a shopping destination, while serving as an economic engine for the area by creating new jobs and opportunity,” Moffatt said in prepared statement.

Also known as Laguna Ridge, Madeira is one of the city’s newest neighborhoods—a quiet, suburban area whose residential communities peek out from behind walls and carefully manicured landscaping.

Homes that back up to Whitelock Parkway, including Gaffney’s, have clear views of the street through their wrought-iron fences.

Gaffney opposes the Madeira Walmart because of its hours of operation, delivery truck access and grocery sales.

“The city’s own statements about Laguna Ridge say that it doesn’t need any more grocery stores,” Gaffney said. “We’ve already reached saturation. We don’t want to harm existing grocery stores by adding a big box grocery store.”

In addition, the proposed delivery truck access would mean noisy, refrigerated trucks would pull up and idle near existing homes.

“That’s an awful lot of exhaust and noise, which is utterly inappropriate right next to a residential neighborhood,” he said.

Others Madeira residents, including Linda Pinkham, are eager to shop closer to home.

Every week Pinkham scans the Walmart ads for deals on paper goods, snack foods and greeting cards.

 “You can’t beat the prices,” Pinkham said, adding a Walmart near her home would be more convenient, particularly with rising gas prices.

“Growth is just part of life," she said. "Elk Grove is a beautiful town and I don’t think another Walmart will hurt. It will open up more jobs and add to the economy.”

The Elk Grove Coalition Advocating for Proper Planning, the group that fought the initial Walmart proposal, hasn’t taken a stance on the Madeira plan, according to chairperson Linda Ford.

“The only issue we had was they wanted to make it a 24-hour store,” Ford said. “We asked them to limit their hours of operation and bring it more in line with the hours at Target.”

Walmart scaled back to a 6 a.m. to midnight operation, but Gaffney said there was no guarantee the store wouldn’t increase its hours at a later date.

The city’s existing zoning ordinance doesn’t restrict hours of operation for stores like Walmart, said Brainerd.

Gaffney also questioned the proposed site’s proximity to Walmart's existing store less than three miles away.

“There are other vacant parcels,” Gaffney said. “If it’s anywhere in city limits, it will create jobs and tax revenue for the city of Elk Grove.”