1/27/2012

Another Walmart Suit

Posted by MJ

The Buffalo News reported.

Work on the Walmart supercenter has been stalled by a months-old lawsuit that town officials didn’t even know about until this week, Supervisor Marc R. Smith said Wednesday.

Smith said Town Attorney Daniel E. Seaman briefed the Town Board behind closed doors Wednesday about a lawsuit a town resident filed July 1 in Albany against Walmart and the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Since the town wasn’t a party to the suit and it wasn’t filed locally, no one told him about it until Monday, the supervisor said.
The suit was dismissed Oct. 4 by a State Supreme Court judge in Albany, but it is being appealed, said Daniel A. Spitzer of the Hodgson Russ firm, attorney for the plaintiff....
Where are people getting the money for these lawsuits? The lawsuit costs have to be higher than any property value loss. A Walmart half the size of the old mall is going in with new view sound barriers etc. What's the real issue? 

20 comments:

Lockport Native said...

Amazing how a small group of people (and maybe some corporate help) can hold the worlds biggest retailer at bay for 6 years. I love the David vs Goliath angle. I always root for the underdog.

Trisha said...

Is it any wonder that wegmans and other retailers have no desire to come to Lockport?

Trisha said...

Is it any wonder that wegmans and other retailers have no desire to come to Lockport?

Anonymous said...

Yes, why would any higher end store like Wegmans or Target come to a city with a 49% poverty rate like Lockport has.
And thats the whole crux of the Walmart suits, we are a poor community, Walmart decided to put a very small store on a lot which isn't legally big enough and people are still fighting it.
There wouldn't have been fights if they had gone on a proper sized lot.

MJ said...

1) It is a proper sized lot. I'm pretty sure that the main variances were needed for setback between it and Bon-Ton now that the property was split into two. That effects no one but Bon-Ton and Walmart.

2) The Walmart is half the size of the mall that was knocked down. If anything it is just more wasted space.

3)If the town had some wonderful master plan and this was totally opposite I could see some frustration. But the town plans for big boxes and big seas of asphalt. This just exchanges building size for parking spaces. Some people I guess see that as a "win".

3) I do not see why Wegman's is considered "high end". They may have a "higher end" shopping environment but my shopping bills are less there than at Tops. The best of both world's one may say.

Isabel said...

I dont see what the big deal is. Lockport needs a super walmart. It will create jobs us. The only ones I see would have a problem are Tops and maybe the save a lot. But Tops is really expensive. If they wanted to I bet they could bring their prices down a little to compete with walmart. Tops is the only real supermarket in town. Why do we even need 2 tops in this town? A walmart will be such a good thing for us.

Karen said...

I do not shop at Walmart and have no desire to have another one in our town. However, at this point the mall is down so I guess just build it for the temporary jobs it will bring (building it). Let's face it, the old Walmart will then just sit empty with a big empty parking lot for years. The new one will not really do anything for the community as a whole and will not bring in any extra money, but if people think they are going to be saving money by shopping there, go for it.

MJ said...

An article reported a while back that a probable tenant was lined up for a portion of the old Walmart building once Walmart moved out. Now that it is again delayed who knows what that may mean.

I rarely shop there but that is no reason to not give others the option to shop there. When a vast number of people in the area have low incomes they deserve low cost options.

Anonymous said...

A regal cinema was suposed to go where the old walmart is they already signed a contract

Anonymous said...

This is Lockport not Amherst. Lockport couldn't support a Regal unless they accepted food stamps or hydro pills for payment.
Remember, we are a welfare based city. Whats our biggest project here, putting up more welfare houses? I'm sure they would support a Regal.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the above post. Just because we have a water filled ditch running through downtown and 9 weeks of free concerts from has been bands in the summer doesn't exactly make Lockport a world class destination. Accept it for what it is, the drug capital of Niagara County.

Anonymous said...

And you live here, that's bad enough.

Really, don't you have a life? Do you really think any really cares about you or your shit on everything opinion?

Why do you even wake up in the morning?

Tiffany said...

More jobs via a Super Walmart means less poverty. Bringing in new businesses to the area, giving people a reason to visit will also increase sales. More often than I would like, I have to drive to Amherst for affordable groceries and to get my shopping done. If I were able to stay in the area I would certainly spend my money here, plus what I saved in gas. I'm positive I am not the only person.

And seriously? The drug capitol of Niagara County? Do you even live here?

Walmart would be serving a much larger population than just the residents of Lockport. No one seems to have a valid reason to deter them.

Anonymous said...

Less poverty by working at Wal Mart? Are you kidding me? And BTW, I'm not the OP on the "drug capitol of Niagara County" post but unless you live under a rock it shouldn't take a criminologist to look around and figure out that this area is infested with dopers, pill poppers, crackies and heroin junkies.

Tiffany said...

No job vs a job paying $9 per hour; doesn't seem like a real quandary. It certainly isn't going to make anyone rich, but it's work.

Seriously, Lockport doesn't even touch on "bad" when it comes to drugs. Drive 30 miles into Buffalo for a good look at "drug presence". There will always be somebody somewhere doing something dumb. But, Lockport doesn't have the market cornered. I'm not saying this place is perfect, but it's better than many.

But, God, the abandoned houses... Blah!

Anonymous said...

Nice try, but it's hard to have a logical argument with the large amount of racists who post here.

Anonymous said...

30 miles into Buffalo? What route do you take to get there?

Anonymous said...

Lockport to Buffalo via the I-90, as per Google:

29.3 Miles.

Did you have anything to actually add to the discussion, or are you just being a jerk?

Anonymous said...

29.3 miles still is not 30 miles.

Anonymous said...

And an asshole is still an asshole, what is your point in life?

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