Johnson City village board members approved a construction permit in mid-October for the debated second Wal-Mart in Broome County.
The 132,000 square-foot mega store, which is set to open in 2009, will be constructed on the brownfield site at 14 Lester Ave. The property, which was once the Endicott-Johnson Ranger-Paracord site, has been vacant for 18 years.
‘We need to bring life back into the community and this is a way to do it,’ said Johnson City Mayor Harry Lewis.
Construction is not anticipated until spring 2008, according to Marc Newman of Newman Development Group. The state Department of Environmental Conservation must approve a brownfield cleanup plan before construction can begin. Newman, whose development group has constructed all of the shopping centers in Vestal, said that construction plans are actually ahead of schedule, and the process has been nothing out of the ordinary.
The permit that was passed in a Tuesday, Oct. 16, vote was a special construction permit allowing a retail building in an industrial area.
The vote had been postponed to this date after Lewis decided to allow board members more time to scrutinize a study of how the plans would impact the area’s water. But water was not the only issue that stirred opposing views on the Wal-Mart construction. Potentially negative economic side effects worried Johnson City town members.
The Johnson City Wal-Mart plans have sparked debate, considering how close it is to the one already existing in Vestal. But Lewis said that there has been an in-depth economic plan related to the new Wal-Mart because of its location.
‘A lot of people are against this Wal-Mart, but also a lot are for it,’ Lewis stated.
Andrew Epstein, a member of the Coalition for Positive Revitalization for Johnson City, is disappointed in Johnson City’s decision to pass the permit and allow the Wal-Mart to be built.
‘I feel this is very disappointing because it shows how much power developers have,’ said Epstein. ‘Local politicians don’t ask questions, they just approve the vote.’
Epstein said that the most disappointing part of the situation is that the board made speeches at community meetings stating how the Wal-Mart is going to hurt Johnson City, but no one listened and everyone just voted yes anyway.