January 18, 2005
Wal-Mart to suck the life out of another community
In case you missed it, here's why Wal-Mart sucks.
Now, Tarpon Springs can look forward to a future of low paying jobs, no local merchants, and a slow erosion of everything that sets the community apart from everywhere else.
Tampabay: No smooth docking for Wal-Mart
In this Greek-settled city, the best coffee in town is still at Mr. Bill's Donut & Deli.Posted by Norwood at January 18, 2005 04:17 AMThere's off-the-boat fresh fish for sale at the Sponge Docks' seafood markets and a family-owned department store still sells postal-worker uniforms on a tree-lined main street. It is an artist's colony and fisherman's haven, unlike any other place in Pinellas County.
But the distinct character Tarpon Springs has honed over the past century is now under assault, some residents say, with the city divided over a plan to build a 24-hour Wal-Mart Supercenter on the Anclote River.
A Greek-style big-box store, with some 900 parking spaces and a drive-through pharmacy, garden center, supermarket, and tire and lube service station, would sit on a sandy hill on the river bank.
Neighbors have rallied to oppose it, citing concern about gopher tortises and other wildlife. They worry about light and noise from the all-night store, and the impact on the city's signature mom-and-pop stores. And then there's fear of traffic nightmares on already jamme d U.S. 19., with estimates that a Wal-Mart could generate as many as 16,000 extra trips a day.
......The battle mirrors others waged across the nation against the world's biggest retailer. Most times, the opponents have lost.
In Tarpon Springs, that's the likely outcome. The city attorney has said the City Commission has virtually no legal option but to approve the project at a meeting tonight.
