Politics & Government

Would Powegians Live Better with Bigger Walmart? Council to Decide Fate of Supercenter

After years of debate and review, the proposed Walmart expansion will head to the City Council with a recommendation of approval by the city manager.

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The will decide Tuesday night whether Walmart should be allowed to expand an additional 36,992 square feet after years of debate about how the retailer would affect Poway neighborhoods and businesses.

Council members will be presented with the city staff's Development Review (DR) and final Environmental Impact Report (EIR), which is topped off with a city recommendation to give Walmart the stamp of approval. If approved by council members, the expansion would turn the region's oldest Walmart into a "Supercenter."

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According to the staff report, the expanded Walmart would be 179,933 square feet after demolishing the adjacent Tire and Lube Express. Public improvements will also be included in the Walmart expansion, requiring the city to install a street light at Hilleary Place, install one or more fire hydrants, and extend the existing left turn lane at Poway and Community roads, among other changes.

Despite the number of changes, the report includes a recommendation to allow Walmart to move ahead with the project, though it notes that two neighborhood meetings resulted in concerns about noise and traffic. The comments from concerned Powegians conclude the final EIR with the city's responses resulting in hundreds of pages.

Find out what's happening in Powaywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In addition to the EIR, the City Council will also be presented the DR, which addresses several concerns including traffic and pollution.

The DR notes that "long-term emissions from operation are all below the San Diego County emission thresholds for all pollutants" though "the demolition of structures and construction activities have the potential of releasing various hazardous materials on the project site."

The 154-page DR also notes that a minor increase in traffic will occur with the expansion but the "noise increase would not be perceptible by the human ear in the outdoor environment." Long-term noise impacts are also a subject of concern with the report noting that "potential long-term stationary noise impacts would be associated primarily with operations on the project site from delivery and loading dock activities."

The final vote comes after years of debate among residents about the impact of the expansion, including the formation of the NO on Walmart Expansion (No WE) originally led by Councilman Dave Grosch until he was elected into office in November 2010. The group, which is said to have hundreds of supporters, is led by Joe St. Lucas, who told that his members would evaluate the final EIR when it is released.

If the City Council approves the expansion, Walmart would offer a full grocery store and operate 24 hours a day.

Other items on the City Council agenda include:

  • Council members will be asked to approve a Conditional Use Permit to modify a Verizon telecommunications facility and install two panel antennas on the tower at St. Bartholomew's Church.
  • Council members, who act as the Redevelopment Agency's board of directors, will be asked to adopt an "Enforcable Obligation Payment Schedule" by Aug. 28 as required by Assembly Bill X1 26. The bill, which was signed into law earlier this year, eliminates redevelopment agencies but allow cities to operate under Assembly Bill X1 27 if cities pay an annual fee. City staff estimate that Poway's cost will be $10.3 million in its first year.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. inside the . See the full agenda here.


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