Another question to pose: how many Lompoc grocery stores will close if Walmart expands its own grocery department and creates a "superstore?"
History shows us that's the among the possible consequences if the expansion is allowed. WalmartWatch puts it this way: "...the factor that Lompoc officials have ignored is that another big grocery store will lead to one or two empty grocery stores anyway. The “saturation” in Lompoc is not just liquor licenses---its grocery stores as well, and adding the new supercenter brings no added value to the Lompoc economy."
According to the Lompoc Record, the proposed expansion to a Super Walmart would add 47,000 square feet to the building by growing to the west and the north. Essentially expanding toward the airport. The automotive section would be rebuilt into store space, and the grocery section expanded to offer a wider variety of products.
Take a look at the project information and draft version of the Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) available at the Lompoc Public Library, at City Hall, and on the city’s Web site for review. The public review period ends Sept. 14. Review comments can be sent to Lucille T. Breese at the address shown above or l_breese@ci.lompoc.ca.us.
A scoping meeting, to identify the potential categories of environmental impacts the store expansion might cause, will be held at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday the 26th, at City Hall.
If enough Lompoc residents respond, the expansion can be stopped.
According to a list released this week by SprawlBusters.com, Wal-Mart Stores has abandoned a record-shattering 45 proposed projects over the past 10 months and another 19 Wal-Mart projects have been killed by local citizen's groups. In total, the world's largest retailer has suffered an historic loss of 64 projects.
During the early 2000s, Wal-Mart had as many as 350 “dark stores” on the market. The number of dead stores today is around 200.
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