Decatur and Walmart seemed an unlikely match to some from the start and that tension was on display Wednesday afternoon during a well-attended and occasionally combative public hearing on whether the retail giant would receive a parking variance.
The DeKalb County Zoning Board of Appeals granted that variance despite objections from nearby residents who say the proposed supercenter, with a grocery and pharmacy, will bring unwanted traffic to what is already a congested area. But for some in this progressive enclave, where chain stores are the exception, not the rule, the very idea of a Walmart is enough to rouse opposition.
"[The developer] was apologetic from the start that they were bringing a Walmart here," said Melanie White, who presented a petition signed by 378 Decatur residents opposed to the planned redevelopment of aging Suburban Plaza, located on North Decatur Road between Church Street and Medlock Road. "We built Decatur with small businesses."
But Walmart officials say opponents don't represent the majority of residents who will welcome the estimated 250 to 300 jobs the Arkansas-based retailer will bring to DeKalb.
"There's some people whose minds are made up [about Walmart]," said store spokesman Glen Wilkins, who said the proposed store, at roughly 150,000 square feet, is not the behemoth 250,000 square feet many associate with Walmart.
The variance granted Wednesday allows developer Selig Enterprises to go ahead with a parking plan that features 3.91 spaces per 1,000 square feet despite county regulations that require 5.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet.
"I think some of the opposition is about Walmart but a lot of it has to do with fear of the unknown," said developer Scott Selig, who argued the extra spaces are unnecessary because the area is well-served by public transportation.
Selig also managed to secure the approval of several neighborhood associations, though their numbers were dwarfed by those opposed to the plan at Wednesday's meeting.
"We like less parking," said Sharon Johnson, president of the Medlock Neighborhood Association, who spoke in favor of the redevelopment. "We're excited they're going to do underground parking."
Opponents say they are not giving up and will seek to appeal the zoning board's decision.
"The mission of this board is to accomplish the highest quality of life for the citizens of DeKalb by developing neighborhood-driven plans for future development," said Decatur resident Ann Mauney. "Their actions have contradicted that mission statement."
The 290,000-square-foot Suburban Plaza, which opened in 1959, currently has a little more than 1,100 parking spaces and is anchored by a Big Lots and a bowling alley.
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