Since news of Walmart's plan to build a scaled-down supercenter at the corner of Arapaho and Coit Road in Far North Dallas, neighborhood opposition has been building. The outcry was covered this weekend by the Morning News and NBC 5, and the Change.org petition promising a boycott is at 2,300 and counting. Opponents now have a full-blown website and, coming soon, yard signs!
Momentum aside, stopping the store remains a long shot, particularly given that the 90,000-square-foot model the retailer has is within current zoning and therefore doesn't need City Council approval. But there remains at least a glimmer of hope.
Council member Sandy Greyson met with Walmart representatives on Thursday and posted her notes from the meeting online.
"I spoke of the three existing Supercenters within a few miles of the Coit and Arapaho location and how we would boycott the 92,000 foot store if built," she writes. "They said they would take a second look at why they chose this site. They are currently in their due diligence process and have 6 months to walk away from the deal."
The second look could include a poll of neighbors, since Walmart's reps pointed out that Greyson is likely hearing from only those in opposition to the store and not those who are in favor or, more likely, indifferent. But even if the poll reveals that neighbors are overwhelmingly against it, the retailer no doubt has an algorithm that calculates the date when the midnight diaper runs and last-minute Super Bowl beer resupplies brings about a sense of resigned acceptance.
