.

[waitlisted]

.

[J D]

Yeah, I'd say they can win, in light of Kelo, Midkiff, etc.

All they need to do is come up with a reasonable argument that a public benefit will be gained, and come up with the fair market value of the land. 

[dbgirl]

Trollik, is it hard for you to believe that some people just don't want a city full of big box stores?
Besides, it's not as if there is a dearth of WalMart stores.

[joespecial]

I agree. I am so glad people are finally standing up to this sh*tty company.

People in other parts of the US may not know this, but Wal-Mart is pretty rare in California, I hope it stays that way.

Everybody should see Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. It may be propaganda but it will change your mind.

[joespecial]

The store is in an area that previously had no grocery stores and the shopping area AROUND Walmart has been revitalized due to it. 

That is not true. That area already had several malls

[dbgirl]

A lot of people refer to the anti box-store people as a vocal minority. However, it's not that they necessarily represent a minority viewpoint, they represent a minority of people who have really researched an issue and have concerns.

For most of my life I had no idea about the planning process behind city development.  All I knew is that one day a new (insert name of store here) would show up.  Until I became a newspaper reporter, I didn't realize that "regular people" had an opportunity to have input in the direction a city develops. In a particular city I wrote about, the Council dubbed the slow-growth people a "vocal minority" and ignored the so-called minority's concerns. Well, the "vocal minority" runs the City Council now, so maybe they weren't such a minority after all.

[joespecial]

where was this walmart with malls you speak of? hayward? thats one of the few ca walmarts i know of. we fought them to keep them out of inglewood down here

I don't know i thought the new Wal-Mart was in Emeryville or something. Wal-Mart is evil.

[dbgirl]

can someone summarize why we hate wal-mart now?

I like WalMart in the sense that it is cheap, but I don't like WalMart for other reasons (like the way the employees are treated).

I also dislike the fact that every friggin suburban town from here to eternity looks the same now -- largely thanks to the box stores.

[dbgirl]

where was this walmart with malls you speak of? hayward? thats one of the few ca walmarts i know of. we fought them to keep them out of inglewood down here

I don't know i thought the new Wal-Mart was in Emeryville or something. Wal-Mart is evil.

unless it miraculously appeared since i moved in december, nah. emeryville is too high scale.

The new WalMart is in Oakland, which generally doesn't give in to the box store phenomenon. However, it's on the outskirts of town, near San Leandro, aka box store central.

[J D]

In cases in which they truly represent a majority viewpoint, their purchasing power should be more than enough to keep the mom and pop stores they so faithfully support above water.

True, but if the community doesn't want a Walmart, they should be able to keep Walmart out much the same way they could keep McMansions out.  Through democratic public policy.

Majority rule vs. minority rights. I would argue that the right to own property and engage in business overrides simple majority rule. However, the Supreme court obviously disagrees. Not much I can do about that until I can trick a president into appointing me, is there?

Property rights are not all that many make them out to be.  They are frequently subject to constraint by the majority (acting through the state) and have been for quite a long time, and for very good reason.