A decision which would issue a special construction permit for a new Wal-Mart in Johnson City ‘ the second in the area ‘ is set to be made one week from today.
Village board members will vote on whether to issue a necessary permit that would sanction the construction of a retail building in an industrial area.
The vote was rescheduled for next Tuesday after Johnson City Mayor Harry Lewis decided to allow board members more time to further scrutinize a study of how the plans would impact the area’s water.
The project comes in an effort to take some of the pressure off the Vestal Wal-Mart store.
The postponement also gave opponents of the new Wal-Mart branch more time to meet and discuss their objections.
The Coalition for Positive Revitalization for Johnson City has organized rallies and protests to voice concerns ranging from the possibility of increased flooding in the area to the threat of a swell in traffic in both Binghamton and Johnson City.
Barbara Thompson, a member of the group, noted that the Wal-Mart branch on the Vestal Parkway can handle the traffic because of its location.
‘The traffic is a big issue. A lot of the traffic is going to come on from residential streets that were never designed to have that kind of traffic, not like the Vestal Parkway,’ Thompson said. ‘Plus, the Binghamton streets, too, are going to see a lot more traffic.’
In addition to the group’s fears of heightened traffic and flood risks, the coalition is worried about possible economic repercussions. According to Thompson, the organization is calling for an economic impact statement before the plans are put into action.
‘The Downtown business area has suffered a lot from the [Oakdale] Mall going in,’ she said. ‘Also, they think they’re going to get some tax revenue from it, but on the other hand, we think there’s going to be more expense connected with taking care of the property.’
According to Tarik Abdelazim, the deputy mayor for the City of Binghamton, city officials echo the coalition’s concerns.
‘Mayor [Matt] Ryan’s immediate concerns are of the ramifications to both traffic patterns and safety, as well as storm water issues,’ Abdelazim said. ‘He also knows that there has been some interest expressed in perhaps doing an economic impact study before the project is approved.’
‘Given there are some small businesses within the City of Binghamton that would likely be impacted by that, it’s something he would support,’ he added.
Mayor Lewis said that the decision of whether the project is ‘economically feasible’ was not up to him, but that he hoped the proposal would give the village a financial uplift.
‘Certainly from the village standpoint, with the additional tax dollars that we’re getting ‘ and unfortunately, we’ve lost a lot of small businesses ‘ I’m hoping it’s going to be a boost to the area,’ Lewis said. ‘A lot of people say, well, what about the traffic? Well, that’s the boost I’m looking for.’
Philip Serghini, a Wal-Mart spokesperson, said that the success of the Vestal branch is motivating the establishment of another Wal-Mart in the area.
‘ ‘ One of the reasons why we’re opening the one in Johnson City is to take a little pressure off that store,’ said the Wal-Mart spokesperson. ‘It shows that the market is really there ‘ So basically we know that both of them will be very successful.’
The Newman Development Group is planning to build an almost 131,000 square-foot Supercenter on Lester Avenue in Johnson City, pending a permit from the board.