By Michael Howell
An application for a wastewater discharge permit for a large retail store to be located at Highway 93 and Blood Lane south of Hamilton has stirred a groundswell of protest over what many speculate will be a Walmart development. Hamilton resident Clover Quinn hopes to put a crimp in any such development by getting at least a quarter of the valley’s residents to sign a petition in which signers commit not to shop at any retail store greater than 90,000 square feet. The building plan submitted along with the permit application shows a 156,159 square foot retail store planned for the site.
“That would be four times larger than the K-mart store we currently have out on the highway,” said Quinn. The permit is being issued to local realtor Lee Foss, who has not disclosed the true developer’s identity. Officials with the Department of Environmental Quality stated at the public meeting held recently to discuss the project that they had no idea about the real developer’s identity.
“I think it’s strange that DEQ has no clue who is taking over that property,” said Quinn. She also doesn’t understand why DEQ would consider such a large commercial development to be a “residential” use rather than industrial.
Another thing Quinn doesn’t understand too well are all the technical concerns that were expressed about the treatment system and its potential effects on water quality in the area and in the river. But, according to Quinn, one thing she does understand is that if such a large ‘big box’ store is constructed so far out from town, the result will be a one stop shopping center that will destroy the existing downtown businesses in Hamilton.
“We don’t know that it’s Walmart,” said Quinn, “but there are a lot of indications that it is.” She said Walmart was the only chain that regularly builds such large stores, the average being about 165,000 square feet. She said that a store of that size is what Walmart proposed eight years ago on a spot near Donaldson’s concrete plant north of town. At that time an alternative site on Blood Lane was discussed, she said.
Quinn said that a huge one stop shopping center, like Walmart, which could include a grocery store, pharmacy, gardening and nursery center, photography center and fast food options, would have a serious negative impact on many local, long established businesses. She said Walmart has a history of not being involved in local communities.
“They don’t buy land. They lease it and if the venture fails they just pull out,” she said. “Normally I don’t like to be on the side of doom and gloom, but after talking to Hamilton businesses that may be affected, I believe they will be starved out. They will hang in only as long as they can operate while losing money.” Quinn claims to have read some compelling studies that show that when Walmart comes into a community the poverty level increases, crime increases and there is a lessening of community involvement and awareness.
“Maybe some large cities can absorb such a development, but small communities cannot,” Quinn said.
According to Quinn, the petition she put together has no legal clout. It is just a bunch of citizens expressing their beliefs and making a commitment not to support a ‘big box’ store of any kind if one should be built. She believes it just may get the company’s attention if they see that one quarter of the residents of the county are not willing to shop in their store if it is built here.
She said response from downtown businesses has been good and the petition is available for signing in 14 local stores already and a dozen or so more petitions are also being circulated by supporters.
“The worst thing to happen would be for a big box store to go in and I had to say I did nothing to try and stop it,” said Quinn.
The petition is available at 14 stores in downtown Hamilton, as well as at Valley Drug and Family Pharmacy in Stevensville and Victor Merc in Victor. If anyone wants to sign a petition and cannot find one, they can contact Quinn at 363-1710.