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CLEAR Temp: 78 °F Wind: NW at 5 mph Thursday, August 14, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 29, 2003 This is an artist�s rendering of the Wal-Mart Supercenter proposed for Miles Field in Medford. A Wal-Mart spokeswoman said the company will try to address community concerns about its monolithic appearance with a more appealing facade. Wal-Mart beats city to the punch Opponents of the store criticize council members during a 15-minute meeting By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Minutes before the Medford City Council’s attempt to block oversized box stores Monday, Wal-Mart filed its plans for a proposed Supercenter at Miles Field. Alarmed by the size of the 207,000-square-foot store, council members were considering limiting retailers to 150,000 square feet, about the size of Fred Meyer. But Wal-Mart, reacting to the threat, submitted its application with the city before any size restrictions could take effect. "We did not have any intention to file an application, but when we got word Thursday evening that the City Council was passing an ordinance, we weren’t left with much choice," said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Amy Hill. Advertisement The corporate giant wants to build the Supercenter at Miles Field and close the existing Talent and Medford stores, which are about half that size. Wal-Mart also plans to build another Supercenter in Central Point. About 50 people attended the special council meeting, including about 25 opponents of big box stores who criticized what they saw as the council’s half-hearted attempt to scuttle Wal- Mart’s plans. "The opposition has been bubbling up and the council needed to react," said Rich Rohde of Oregon Action. "The council would have sat on their hands and not even held this pathetic meeting." He thought the council was hoping to find an excuse to skirt the issue. "These folks were just ready to roll over," said Rohde, who is part of a newly formed group opposed to Wal-Marts and big box stores. Even some council members, who were divided on the issue, agreed the hastily scheduled meeting was ill-conceived. "It seemed to be a knee-jerk reaction," said Councilman Bill Moore. "We should have initiated it a long time ago." Moore, who said the city decided years ago to make Medford a regional shopping area, agreed with his colleagues that any current discussion of blocking Wal-Mart is now pointless because of the application with the city. "The horse is out of the barn," he said. Added Councilman John Michaels, "Since it is a moot point, nothing we do today will matter." City Manager Mike Dyal said the council could not have changed ordinances at Monday’s meeting anyway, pointing out that such changes have to go through the planning department and public hearings. The council, which adjourned after about 15 minutes, still appeared concerned about the size of the store, which would cover nearly four football fields. Members plan to look at size limitations in the future. Councilman Jim Key, who spearheaded the council’s effort to scuttle Wal-Mart’s plans, said, "The Wal-Mart store is entirely too large for our area." He disagreed that the meeting was ill-conceived, saying the council needed to take the chance and work toward killing a project that he thinks will be bad for Medford. "If Wal-Mart had hesitated, we would have had Wal-Mart by the throat," he said. The nation’s largest retailer is not a good corporate citizen, hiring lots of temporary workers and paying them low wages, Key said. If the store comes to Medford, he predicts the downtown area, which has already suffered from other big box stores, will become more of a ghost town. "The little mom-and-pops are going to get run out of business," said Key. In addition, the traffic created by the new Supercenter will overwhelm the southern end of Medford, said Key, who plans to continue the fight against the store. "What I’m fearful of is that they will have the store completed before the interchange is completed," he said. "That area is going to be a mess." Medford resident Virginia Dixon, who moved from Georgia a year ago, supports Wal-Mart and thinks the stores are good for the community and doesn’t understand the opposition to the corporation. "I think the whole county has an elitist mentality," she said. "The county doesn’t want the low-income-type jobs." Hill of Wal-Mart said that despite the opposition, thousands of customers in the Rogue Valley have expressed excitement about the new stores and many have signed a petition in support of the Supercenters at the Talent store. Hill doesn’t know the root cause of the opposition to the stores in Medford and other communities throughout the country. "We are not a perfect company, and there are some things we have not been right about," she said. "I don’t think there are that many people who oppose us, but those who oppose Wal-Mart are awfully loud." The company will try to address community concerns about the monolithic appearance of the proposed store and will make an attempt to change the facade to give it better curb appeal. She said the company isn’t trying to sneak the store into Jackson County. "We announced our plans about four months ago," she said. Hill said residents opposed to Wal-Mart have the ability to make their own statement about the corporation: "The reality is if you don’t like somebody, then don’t shop there." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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