It's been a long haul but it's not over

Thanks to everyone who has helped out with this very long and involved effort to prevent a Wal-Mart Supercenter from becoming a part of Allandale. The fight has gone on for over a year now. It has been a major resource drain and we have legal bills to pay. Judge Margaret Cooper ruled yesterday that City was not obligated to hold a public hearing in the approval process for Lincoln's site plan at Northcross (read today's article in the Statesman). That said, the fight is not over. This is still not a done dea. The RG4N trial is on for Tuesday, November 13.

No matter the outcome, Allandale did the right thing. Residents made it clear to us back in December of last year at the specially called general meeting they wanted ANA to fight it. That was understandable. Allandale is no place for a 200K sq ft Wal-Mart. We don't want the traffic and we like the mix of businesses in the area and the conveniences they offer just fine. This isn't a store for the neighborhood, it's a store for the city. Regardless of the judge's ruling, the City should not have the right to approve a site plan without neighborhood say when doing so greenlights the construction of a mega retail store. WE LIVE HERE!

And if the Supercenter is built, I hope I'm wrong about the traffic - surely they won't fill up that 3-level parking garage? Unfortunately, I don't see the comparison with the Central Market development where adjoining neighbors worried about the disruption it would bring to the area. Now they're glad to have it so close by. Personally, I can't see myself saying the same for the Supercenter 5 years from now.

I've got to hand it to our Northcross Committee headed up by Allan McMurtry for all of the time and thought and encouragement and work they put into this. Thanks also to the supporting cast - the Fundraising Committee who in their efforts to keep the engine fueled brought a lot of neighbors together. The hard part of a long legal battle like this is sticking with it and these folks are still around.

Tom Linehan
President, Allandale Neighborhood Association