Editorial: Rejection of Walmart in interest of community

The Albuquerque City Council’s rejection this week of a Walmart at one of the city’s busy river crossings was the right call.

The council on a 7-0 vote, with two councilors recusing themselves, upheld the denial of a proposed 98,900-square-foot store at Coors and Montaño.

The decision came down to location and abiding by city zoning and land-use laws, not about the merits of Walmart itself. Its global success is witness to the fact that multitudes like shopping there.

After the vote, Councilor Trudy Jones summed it up: “What matters is the zoning law in place.”

The process was long and fraught with high emotions from members of the public both for and against the center. The Walmart development team contended the site is zoned properly for the store and the project would comply with city rules. Opponents said its size and design would conflict with the Albuquerque Comprehensive Plan and other area plans that require a less intense multi-use development. They also said the store would create traffic congestion, invite crime and adversely impact the nearby bosque.

The council’s decision is the fourth rejection for the project. First, city planners recommended the store be denied. The Environmental Planning Commission ruled it didn’t meet requirements that it have full access to nearby roads and didn’t have a pedestrian friendly design. Then a land use hearing officer, who reviewed 7,000 pages of documents, recommended the council uphold the EPC’s denial.

Access wasn’t the only concern, but it appeared to be a deal-breaker. The city’s “big box ordinance,” approved in 2007, requires large retail facilities to have full access to a major four-lane road. The store itself wouldn’t have had full access to busy Coors and customers would have had to travel a short distance through a subdivision in which the store would be built and navigate at least one roundabout to get to Coors via Learning Road, where there is a traffic light.

The fight may not be over. Applicant Silver Leaf Ventures LLC can appeal the council’s decision to district court.

But after 30 hours of hearings and four rejections, the project has been thoroughly vetted. The fight should end here. This center is not right for this location.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.