Frisco Homeowners Fighting New Wal-Mart
FRISCO (CBS 11 NEWS) - Residents of Cobb Hill in North Frisco are fighting to keep a potential neighbor out.
In April, Wal-Mart submitted a zoning change application for a 23.5 acre property south of Newton Drive, along Dallas Parkway, north of El Dorado.
That property is zoned for Retail and Office use in 2002. In 2012, the Planned Development was amended to allow 3 retail anchors and 3 restaurants totaling 152,500 square feet.
The property would be have re-zoned to house one large store and would add square footage. Wal-Mart wants to build a 189,000 square foot store.
Several blocks of residents homes back up to the proposed site.
"Imagine Christmas," said Nosa Onaiwu, whose home is less than 200 feet from the proposed site. "It's a 24-hour Wal-Mart and at night to have trucks driving in and out? You can't control the crowd coming in here."
Residents say they are concerned about increases in traffic and noise and light pollution that a big box store could create.
"The biggest issue is how many do we need? Do we need three Wal-Marts?" said Cobb Hill homeowner Gary Huddleston.
There are Wal-Mart stores within 5 miles of the proposed site for a new one.
Anne Hatfield, a Wal-Mart spokesperson, sent the following statement:
"We are always looking for ways to best serve our customers. As communities continues to grow, so does the need for retail services. Our real estate selection process is centered on meeting the area's increasing need for fresh produce, groceries and household merchandise so we can continue to serve our customers. Our safety protocols set the industry standard and we work with law enforcement agencies in every community we serve to provide a safe shopping experience.
Unfortunately, some of the louder voices in this debate don't represent the majority opinion. The customer voice is clear and demonstrated every time we open a new location as thousands of local residents show their support by shopping our store. Many residents have told us they plan to shop our store when it opens and look forward to saving lots of money on the products they need for their families. It's clear that the more people get to know the facts about us, the more they see the value in bringing a Walmart store to their community."
Some neighbors, who did not want to be identified, told CBS11 they do support the store, arguing for the savings it could bring to residents.
But many other Cobb Hill residents started a petition and hundreds have already signed.
The group also send a document to the Planning and Zoning commission asking them to deny the zoning change.
Dana Baird, Director of Communication for the city of Frisco sent the following statement:
"The Office of the City Secretary received a document late June 26. The document is a statement of opposition to Walmart and cites reasons for opposition. The City of Frisco is reviewing the concerns raised in the document."
The zoning change application remains under review.
Public hearing notices must be sent to property owners within 200 feet of the rezoning request 10 days prior to the public hearing, in accordance with state law. All HOA's within 1,500 feet are also notified by email, per department policy.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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