What is Walmart doing?

Their plan is to build two new mega-stores south east of the Hampshire Mall. The "small" store with an unnamed tenant has a size of over 90,000 square feet. The "supercenter" will be the biggest single store in the Valley, over 212,000 square feet. This is a disaster unfolding before our eyes.

Current Map

Here's how you can stop the Walmart

Write!

Submit your comments before April 6, 2007

Mr. Ian Bowles, Secretary of Environmental Affairs
Attention: Mr. Nicholas Zavolas, EOEA Project #13478
MEPA Office
100 Cambridge St., Suite #900
Boston, MA 02114
nicholas.zavolas@state.ma.us
Fax: (617) 626-1181

Speak!

Upcoming meetings
Make your voice heard.

Hadley Planning Board
June 6, 2007
7:30pm
Hopkins Academy
Rt. 9 & Rt. 47 Hadley

Learn

Keep informed
Check out these links for the latest developments.

http://blogs.umass.edu/delvin/
http://www.hadleyneighbors.org/
http://www.stopsprawlmart.org/

Annoy

For your free copy of the 8lb. Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) call 413-452-0445. The developer is required to send you one if you ask.

The Other Side

In an effort to be fair and balanced, we present the Pro-Walmart view:

At the Hadley MA planning board hearing last month I heard the local tree huggers complain about the proposed Walmart Supercenter. But I don't care because none of it directly affects me. They say that more traffic will cause more accidents. But I drive a Hummer and it'll crush any hot head who hits me. "Hey, was that a speed bump or a protester?"

The Hummer's always hungry for gas, so when the runoff from the gas station pollutes their local aquifer, to me it's worth it. I don't live in Hadley so that's a risk I'm willing to have them take. Besides, they can always save money by buying their bottled water from you know who...

The back road to the mall will cut across the local bike path. Some day a kid will get hit by one of the 982 cars an hour that'll cross bike path during peak traffic each Saturday. But when enough kids get killed that'll teach the others to be more careful. Your bike helmet won't help when the Hummer hits you.

The store will use up 52 acres of farmland. Big deal. When was the last time you used anything from a farm? Besides, riding behind a tractor in a Hummer is humiliating.

I hear they might build low-income senior housing right next door. That's long range planning because once social security is bankrupt the old people can walk to work.

We all saw the destruction of hurricane Katrina as hundreds of helpless Supercenters lie in heaps all along the Gulf coast. The least we can do in their hour of need is to let them build their store in Hadley any way they want. Come on people, have some compassion for others.

Sincerely,
Tong N. Cheek