Another Wal-Mart?
By Ellen Dehr
In July, City Manager John Jermanis announced that San Leandro will soon be home to a second Wal-Mart. It will be located at 15555 Hesperian Blvd., near Lewelling, a site recently vacated by a Target store. The thought of a second Wal-Mart has many people asking how the City of San Leandro could allow such a thing.
According to Mike Katz’s blog the property is currently zoned for “big box retail” and therefore Wal-Mart does not need any approvals from the Board of Zoning Adjustments, the Planning Commission, or the City Council.
So what is a concerned citizen to do? Some possibilities are:
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Join an anti-Wal-Mart movement, such as www.wakeupwalmart.com.
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Don’t shop at Wal-Mart. But, as mentioned by several people who attended the SLCAN screening of the film Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Wal-Mart is not so different from many other retailers today. Are we willing to abandon all sources of cheaper goods in favor of smaller businesses? Many who try to support local businesses already find it difficult to locate many items in San Leandro without going to a large retailer or chain store.
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Ask the City to support local businesses and to change the zoning laws so that the SanLeandro is not overtaken by big box retail and fast food chains. There are models in other cities that we could emulate.
And, of course, let SLCAN know if you have any other ideas. E-mail us at elist@slcan.org with your thoughts.
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