Updated: Walmart Plans Rejected

The marathon hearing lumbered to an end well after midnight, as the commission ultimately rejected the approvals needed for the project to move forward. Its decision can be appealed to the City Council.

City planning staff had also recommended denial of the project.

At least 400 people filled a ballroom at the Albuquerque Convention Center to watch or testify at the hearing, which began at 1 p.m. The crowd often cheered opponents of the project and chuckled at presentations from supporters.

About 50 people were left about midnight, and the vote came about 12:45 a.m.

The proposed 98,900-square-foot store would be located southeast of the Coors and Montaño intersection.

One of the key debates was whether the Walmart would have adequate access to a major roadway. The city’s 2007 “big box” ordinance requires “full access” to a major four-lane road, meaning traffic can flow either way when entering or leaving the site.

In this case, the Walmart building itself doesn’t appear to have full access to Coors, but the larger subdivision in which it would be built has full access through Learning Road and Coors, where there is a traffic light.

The city’s staff planners for the project recommended denial because, they said, the tract on which the Walmart would sit “does not have primary and full access to either” Coors or Montaño.

They also said the project isn’t pedestrian friendly as required in design standards. They cited its proximity to the bosque, too.

Ron Bohannan, an engineer working with the Walmart development team, said the project would include plazas, a sidewalk network and a bicycle hub. He said the Walmart would be 400 feet away from the bosque and that the store could adjust its truck delivery schedule to accommodate the morning rush of students to the Bosque School, which is nearby.

The building would be about the size of a Target, not as big as the Walmart at West Bluff near Interstate 40.

“People keep thinking this is a large supercenter,” Bohannan said, but it isn’t.

The EPC also heard from Timothy Flynn-O’Brien, an attorney for the Taylor Ranch Neighborhood Association. He said the proposal doesn’t comply with design standards already approved for the site calling for pedestrian-friendly, village-like development.

Flynn-O’Brien questioned whether the plazas mentioned by Bohannan would actually attract residents. A Walmart parking lot, he said, isn’t a community gathering place the way the fountain at ABQ Uptown or the plaza at Old Town are.

Flynn-O’Brien also questioned whether the site has the required access to major roads.

“This will result in excessive traffic on local streets,” Flynn-O’Brien said.

Walmart customers leaving the store would have to travel a short distance to the south and through at least one roundabout to get to Learning Road. Apartments and residential uses are planned for the area.

About 10 students from Bosque School testified against the Walmart and answered questions from the planning commissioners.

Planning Commissioner Ron O. Garcia asked one student about the need for economic development.

“We’re hurting for jobs out there,” Garcia said.

Sara Blanchfield, a senior at Bosque School, wasn’t convinced the Walmart would be good for economic development.

She said local businesses bring culture and color to the area.

“As a result of this Walmart,” she said, “many small businesses would struggle and many would close.”

But some residents said the Walmart would add shopping opportunities and relieve congestion at other West Side Walmarts.

“The general public supports this store,” said Wayland Strickland, who identified himself as one of 15,000 people who signed petitions in favor of the project.

The site is owned by the Daskalos family, who’ve been involved in development all over town.

4:12 p.m. – About 400 people turned out for today’s hearing about the Walmart proposed at Coors and Montaño. Some 70 of them are signed up to testify before the Environmental Planning Commission, which has so far heard presentations from city planning staff, the development team and Taylor Ranch Neighborhood Association.

General public comment was just getting underway about 4 p.m.

One of the key questions before the EPC is whether the proposed Walmart meets the road-access requirements of Albuquerque’s “big box” ordinance.

City planners recommended denial of the project because, they say, the tract on which the Walmart itself sits doesn’t have full access to either Coors or Montaño.

But they also noted that the larger subdivision in which the Walmart sits does have full access to Coors, at Learning Road. That means that if the EPC determines that it’s the overall subdivision that needs access — not the Walmart building itself — then the project meets the big-box ordinance requirement, staffers said.

Ron Bohannan, an engineer representing the Walmart team, said the project would include plazas, a sidewalk network and a bicycle hub. He said the Walmart would be 400 feet away from the bosque and that the store could adjust its truck delivery schedule to accommodate the morning rush of students to the Bosque School.

Timothy Flynn-O’Brien, an attorney for the Taylor Ranch Neighborhood Association, said the proposal doesn’t comply with design standards for the site that call for pedestrian-friendly, village-like development. He questioned the plazas mentioned by Bohannan and said a Walmart parking lot isn’t the type of gathering place intended by the design standards.

Flynn-O’Brien also questioned whether the site has the required access to major roads.

“This will result in excessive traffic on local streets,” he said.

The city’s Environmental Planning Commission is currently meeting to discuss the proposed controversial Walmart project at Coors and Montaño. The commission is expected to hear testimony from the public about the project, which received a recommended denial from city planners earlier this week.

Journal reporter Dan McKay is at the meeting. We’ll have his full story later today.

Stay with ABQJournal.com for updates about this story.