Billsman
January 10th, 2006, 10:57:35 AM
Wal-Mart is planning to build a 203,000-square-foot superstore in northeast Amherst, town officials said Monday.
The Bentonville, Ark., retail giant is asking the town for a site plan approval to develop about 21 acres on the west side of Millersport Highway between Smith and New roads on land that some already are calling environmentally sensitive.
The location is about six miles from a Niagara County site where Lockport residents have been fighting for several years to prevent the development of a similar store.
It was unclear what impact, if any, the Amherst proposal would have on the company's Lockport plans.
Wal-Mart does not not need zoning approvals for the Amherst site. The 67-acre parcel has been zoned for a shopping mall for years, said Sean Hopkins, the company's lawyer.
Hopkins also said Wal-Mart will be required to "go through the proper procedures," which could take several months.
Much of the area of the proposed site lies in the 100-year floodplain, according to a spokesman for the Amherst Conservation Advisory Council, who criticized the company's plans.
Wal-Mart's plans for a superstore in Lockport have prompted hundreds of residents to dig in to protect their small-town lifestyle.
Nevertheless, and regardless of what is happening in Amherst, the Town of Lockport is still courting Wal-Mart to build a superstore on the site of the ailing Lockport Mall on Transit Road.
"We always want to bring new business into Lockport, and Wal-Mart would be a major asset," said Debbie Gaskill, deputy supervisor of the Town of Lockport.
"But we have to make sure it fits with traffic flow and environmental concerns," she added, referring to continuing opposition by residents in the area.
Gaskill said Wal-Mart is preparing a final environmental impact study for the Town Planning Board, which then will have 60 days to review it.
The Bentonville, Ark., retail giant is asking the town for a site plan approval to develop about 21 acres on the west side of Millersport Highway between Smith and New roads on land that some already are calling environmentally sensitive.
The location is about six miles from a Niagara County site where Lockport residents have been fighting for several years to prevent the development of a similar store.
It was unclear what impact, if any, the Amherst proposal would have on the company's Lockport plans.
Wal-Mart does not not need zoning approvals for the Amherst site. The 67-acre parcel has been zoned for a shopping mall for years, said Sean Hopkins, the company's lawyer.
Hopkins also said Wal-Mart will be required to "go through the proper procedures," which could take several months.
Much of the area of the proposed site lies in the 100-year floodplain, according to a spokesman for the Amherst Conservation Advisory Council, who criticized the company's plans.
Wal-Mart's plans for a superstore in Lockport have prompted hundreds of residents to dig in to protect their small-town lifestyle.
Nevertheless, and regardless of what is happening in Amherst, the Town of Lockport is still courting Wal-Mart to build a superstore on the site of the ailing Lockport Mall on Transit Road.
"We always want to bring new business into Lockport, and Wal-Mart would be a major asset," said Debbie Gaskill, deputy supervisor of the Town of Lockport.
"But we have to make sure it fits with traffic flow and environmental concerns," she added, referring to continuing opposition by residents in the area.
Gaskill said Wal-Mart is preparing a final environmental impact study for the Town Planning Board, which then will have 60 days to review it.