Wilderness battlefield vs WalMart

[PhillipM]

Walmart is planning on building a 141,000 sq. ft. Superstore next to the Wilderness and Chancellorsville Battlefields.

See link for more info:

http://www.civilwar.org/walmart08/

Information

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[jon_norstog]

Phillip, list,

That kink has a letter you can sign. It's not a great letter, it reads like it was written by a consultant. But it has a place to add your own thoughts. I added this:

"The Wilderness Battlefield belongs to all of us. Blood was spilled there to determine what kind of country this would be. Men are still buried in that ground, lying there asleep, forever young, never to finish their lives.
WalMart can go anywhere. It doesn't mean anything. You have to ask yourselves, "Who are we? Where did we come from? What do we believe? Where are we going?"
If you can answer these questions you will know what to do."

Well I think anything that's not obscene will work. This is sacred ground.

jn

[pdh]

Chancelorsville and the Wilderness battlefields are holy ground bought and paid for by American soldiers. What's next for wal-mart? How about a floating store where the Arizona lies at rest?

[mike113]

What's next for wal-mart? How about a floating store where the Arizona lies at rest?

[JohnMOhio]

Thanks Phil, I sent them my opinion also.

[RED]

This is a very slippery slope. If the property is privately owned and zoned for commercial use, and the owner wants to develop the land, Who thinks the Government should be able to say no? And then there is the matter of where does the battlefield end? If being able to merely see a Wally World is going to diminish the experience too much, the Government can step in and use Imminent Domain powers to seize the property. But, again, where do you stop? You can see for 50 miles from Lookout Mountain????

Back on the old forum the Imminent Domain issue was hotly debated and 99% of the posts were against it's use. I guess it is just a matter of whose ox is being gored.

[jon_norstog]

This is a very slippery slope. If the property is privately owned and zoned for commercial use, and the owner wants to develop the land, Who thinks the Government should be able to say no?

Red,

This is a good point. The action really should be taken beforehand, when the community updates its comprehensive plan. If the battlefield is zoned AG or something, keep it that way. If it was previously zoned for some kind of development, then the right thing to do is take a position in the Comp Plan that the County/township/whatever is adopting as a goal,preservation of the battlefield.

Then do the right thing: either buy the property outright, or buy the development rights. Or you can set up a transfer of development rights (TDR); the owner can sell his rights to someone somewhere else in the same jurisdiction.

Really, though, this is an area where the Park Service should be able to step in and pay up.

jn

[0311Shooter]

Since I don't know where this is located, have never been to the area, probably never will, I don't really have a say in it.

IF it detracts from the theme and beauty and remembrance of the battlefield, I am opposed to it.

If it does not and it provides shopping and jobs and brings in more people to the area, I say GOOD.

But, what the hell do I know?

[Embalmer]

its like the casino they were gonna build in Gettysburg. After a long few year fight, the developer got fed up and left... Those areas shouldnt be paved over now. 50 years ago not many people cared, and now look at the likes of maryes heights in Fredericksburg, once a huge open field where 1000's fell, now all suberbia. Bunkerhill here in Boston, slopes where the british were felled by the truckloads, all projects ect.... Once these historic resources are paved over, they are lost forever... There are plenty of places for walmart to go, other than that perticular spot.

[John L. Lucci]

its like the casino they were gonna build in Gettysburg. After a long few year fight, the developer got fed up and left... Those areas shouldnt be paved over now. 50 years ago not many people cared, and now look at the likes of maryes heights in Fredericksburg, once a huge open field where 1000's fell, now all suberbia. Bunkerhill here in Boston, slopes where the british were felled by the truckloads, all projects ect.... Once these historic resources are paved over, they are lost forever... There are plenty of places for walmart to go, other than that perticular spot.

Walmart: The borg of the retail world.