Wal-Mart plan looks like loser in Littleton

Ivan Moreno And Hector Gutierrez, Rocky Mountain News

Published June 20, 2007 at midnight

Text size

More Local News

Littleton voters were saying no Tuesday to a Wal-Mart superstore that would have been built near South Platte Park.

The vote was a rejection of a City Council decision in January to rezone the land in the 6000 block of South Santa Fe Drive so that the retail giant could build its superstore.

The measure was repealed by a vote of 7,878 to 5,128, according to unofficial results.

"A very large victory," said Debbie Brinkman, the campaign manager of Littleton Pride, You Decide, the group that led the fight against the store.

"We realized we had pretty widespread support as we were going door-to-door and calling people. What really seemed to resonate for people is that they didn't believe that a 2 4/7 big box would be an appropriate development next to a couple of neighborhoods and the park," she said.

Josh Phair, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said the company would still like to work with Littleton residents to find an alternative.

"It's not the outcome we were hoping for, obviously," Phair said. "We're going back to the drawing board and assess if there's a proposal that's a better fit for us and for the citizens of Littleton."

The election came after months of debate over the location of the superstore, which would occupy three parcels of land on South Santa Fe Drive, near the South Platte Park.

Kelli Narde, a spokeswoman for the city, said there would be a 20-acre buffer between the store and the park.

But that didn't appease Wal-Mart opponents, who say the store would not comply with zoning and noise ordinance laws.

The Littleton City Council voted 4-3 in January to rezone the land and give the retail chain the go-ahead to build a store.

The council made its decision after more than 12 hours of testimony over two evening meetings where residents spoke against the store. Mayor Jim Taylor said he voted for the store because it would bring much needed sales-tax revenue for the city.

Council member Doug Clark, who voted against the store, said he's concerned the Wal-Mart store would bring plenty of noise.

Clark said Wal-Mart officials have said workers would have been unloading trucks on their docks between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. even though they would not be allowed to do that within 800 feet of a residential area.

"They're basically saying we're not going to comply with this," Clark said.

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News