TWO CITIES, ONE MEASURE BOTH DEBATE WAL-MARTS; ONLY ONE TURNS TO BALLOT.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer LANCASTER - Just about forgotten in the battle over Measure T, the Palmdale ballot measure to determine whether residents want another Wal-Mart store, is the fact that a similar project is planned for Lancaster's east side. Similar in scope to the Palmdale project - and drawing support and opposition for the same reasons - the resolution over the debate of the Lancaster Wal-Mart development is heading down a different track. Opponents of the Lancaster Wal-Mart, backed by a grocery clerks union, agreed to drop a lawsuit lawsuit: see procedure; tort. challenging the project in exchange for the city's agreement to prepare a full environmental impact report, which Lancaster officials believe will show no unmanageable problems. ``We'll go through the hoops and we'll be victorious,'' said Lancaster City Manager Jim Gilley. The city's agreement to conduct a full EIR EIR n. popular acronym for environmental impact report, required by many states as part of the application to a county or city for approval of a land development or project. (See: environmental impact report) validates opponents' concerns about noise and traffic and the true economic impacts of the project, said Rick Icaza, president of United Food and Commercial Workers The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is a labor union representing approximately 1.4 million workers in the United States and Canada in many industries, including agriculture, health care, meatpacking, poultry and food processing, manufacturing, textile and Local 770. ``They (the city) agreed with us that it (the environmental review) was inadequate. They are going to do an EIR and see what the impacts will be on Lancaster,'' Icaza said. ``In Palmdale, the issue was a general plan amendment and a zoning change. In this case the issue is whether a proper EIR was done.'' The EIR is expected to be ready in spring. Approved by the Planning Commission Noun 1. planning commission - a commission delegated to propose plans for future activities and developments commission, committee - a special group delegated to consider some matter; "a committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours" - Milton Berle in January and the City Council in February, the shopping center shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into is planned for a 36-acre site at the northwest corner of Avenue J and 20th Street East. Plans call for the shopping center to cover 335,000 square feet, with the Wal-Mart store accounting for 140,750 square feet. The plans include provisions to expand the Wal-Mart by an additional 92,050 square feet. Like the situation in Palmdale, the development is being hailed by supporters as an opportunity to bring jobs and economic development to the east side. Like the Palmdale situation, opponents are criticizing the plan, saying it will bring in too much traffic and noise and that the Wal-Mart will replace good-paying jobs with benefits, with lower-paying jobs and few benefits. In both the Lancaster and Palmdale cases, lawsuits were filed against the projects but were soon settled with different results. In Palmdale, it was agreed to let voters decide whether the City Council was right in approving general plan and zoning changes on about one-third of the property needed for the project. Gilley and Icaza agree that the outcome of Measure T in Tuesday's election will not have any impact on the Lancaster situation. Lancaster Mayor Frank Roberts Frank Roberts may refer to:
``We want to see want happens with Measure T. That'll set the tone for what we are doing,'' Roberts said. The arguments for and against the project mirror the debate in Palmdale. Opponents say Wal-Mart will run established businesses out and bring in lower-paying jobs. Those claims are backed by a 1999 report prepared for the Orange County Business Council. That report states supercenters such as those operated by Wal-Mart depress de·press v. 1. To lower in spirits; deject. 2. To cause to drop or sink; lower. 3. To press down. 4. To lessen the activity or force of something. industry wages and benefits at an estimated impact ranging from a low of $500 million to a high of almost $1.4 billion per year in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . ``I don't think the City Council knows the impact this will have on their coffers,'' Icaza said. ``Businesses that are solid now, in existence now, are the good providers of sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. revenue. With a megastore, they lose money.'' Supporters argue that the Avenue J and 20th Street East intersection intersection /in·ter·sec·tion/ (-sek´shun) a site at which one structure crosses another. intersection a site at which one structure crosses another. has long been earmarked in the city's general plan for a major retail center. The project will bring in jobs and shopping into an area that many feel has been overlooked in terms of economic development. Wal-Mart officials say they survey pay rates in communities where they open stores and offer competitive wages. Supporters also point to dozens of letters of support for the Wal-Mart chain from chambers of commerce throughout California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). . Those letters state the chain has been both a good economic factor as well as a good corporate neighbor. |
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