Wal-Mart ends fight for a store at 182nd/Powell

From a statement released by Wal-Mart today:

Portland, Ore. (June 20, 2007) - "We're proud of the store we proposed for Gresham, a contemporary, compact, urban design (see conceptual drawings at www.walmart-oregon.com), that would have made it one of the most unique Wal-Mart stores in the Northwest. The Gresham store would have greatly improved the area's shopping options, provided high-quality new jobs and increased tax revenue to the community."

"Although LUBA previously remanded the City of Gresham's Hearings Officer's decision to reject our application for a store on West Powell Boulevard, after careful review Wal-Mart has decided not to appeal to LUBA the Hearings Officer's remand decision denying our application. It is unfortunate that this custom designed store will not be built. It was supported by the City planning staff and local residents, and satisfied all the land use approval criteria except for one traffic issue that was not discussed during the hearings process."

"Wal-Mart remains committed to better serving its loyal Gresham customers and we will take the lessons we have learned from this site proposal and work to improve upon them. While disappointed by the decision, a long protracted legal battle is not in anyone's best interests. Our obligation and our commitment to our customers is to find a site that works for them as well as for the city."

"While Wal-Mart has a legal right to appeal, we have taken into consideration the Hearings Officer's decision and findings, and recognize that his decision makes a clear statement that he does not believe this is the right site for us in Gresham in his analysis of the regional traffic environment. We feel that the legal and land use arguments for an appeal in this case are strong, however, we want to work with the city to find the right location."

"Wal-Mart will continue to search for opportunities to join the business community and provide everyday low prices."

"We would like to thank the hundreds of local residents who also expressed support for the new store. We greatly appreciate the support of the City planning staff and all of the agencies that worked with us over the past two years. We look forward to working with them again on a new site proposal."