Wal-Mart made several modifications to its original proposal to make the store’s façade blend with existing architecture of nearby downtown Waxhaw. But at almost 190,000 square feet, it’s four times bigger than any store in the area. The explosion of traffic and increased threats to neighborhood safety are some of the chief concerns residents say fuel their fight against the mega-retailer.

On Monday, Nov. 27, Waxhaw’s planning board voted 4-3 in favor of Wal-Mart’s application for a conditional-use permit to construct an 189,821-square-foot building near N.C. 16 and Waxhaw Parkway. The favorable recommendation did come with a couple of stipulations: No 18-wheelers may make deliveries between 6:30 and 8 a.m. and 4:30 and 7 p.m.; and Wal-Mart must apply for a variance for its 64-foot sign, which is larger than the current code permits.
The measure will now advance to the town’s board of commissioners.
The vote is the latest action in the fight between the retail giant who wants to add some 400 jobs to Union County and local residents who are concerned about traffic, security and harmony with Waxhaw’s distinctive and historic downtown character and architecture.
Despite the planning board’s approval and the operational stipulations, Alma Village resident Robert Hecksher said the store won’t fit. “There’s one way in and one way out,” Hecksher said of the proposed store. “It’s completely out of harmony. It’s three or four times bigger than anything else we have in town amid the downtown antique shops and a 45,000-square-foot Food Lion.”

Public expression
Local opponents of the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter planned for Jackson Station near downtown Waxhaw plan to express their concerns when the town’s board of commissioners holds a public hearing on the controversial item.
The board’s next scheduled meeting is Dec. 12; however, the town might be forced to hold a special meeting for the public hearing, which is almost guaranteed to draw a large, vocal crowd, all wanting to speak against the issue.
“If it’s on the agenda, we want to be there,” said Hecksher. “I think there will be a lot of people there.”
Waxhaw First, a community action group and vocal opponent to Wal-Mart, is hoping hundreds of citizens attend the public hearing and address the board of commissioners. “It’s not that we are anti-Wal-Mart,” Hecksher said, “we’re anti-big-box retail.”

Bumpy road ahead
Although the measure passed this first hurdle, even planning board members recognized it’s still an uphill battle. “I wish you luck with the town board,” planning chair Blake Duty said after the vote, alluding to the upcoming public hearing with the town’s commissioners. Citizens like Hecksher and members of the planning board have concerns about how a 24-hour-a-day retail establishment will impact Waxhaw.
“I don’t have a problem with the building. The problem is the traffic,” planning board member Phillip Gregory said Monday night. “It’s not your problem, but it’s our job.”
N.C. Department of Transportation officials say more than 21,000 cars currently travel in the vicinity of N.C. 16 between Waxhaw Parkway and N.C. 75. The proposed store would add another 9,000 trips to the area. One car makes two trips, according to a traffic formula. “Somewhere down the road, we’ve got to say, ‘What are we going to do with all the cars?’” Gregory added.

Security, harmony issues for
proposed 24-hour store
Planning board members Sean Baxter and Jennifer Abuaita, citing an increased number of people in town late at night, didn’t like the idea of a 24-hour operation in Waxhaw. “There’s nothing else in town going on like that,” Baxter said.
Attorney Ashley Story, representing Wal-Mart, told the planning board Monday he understood the fears of what a 24-hour operation would mean to Waxhaw, but said, “We’d like to stay open to stock and do other things.”
Compatibility with the existing architectural character of the historic downtown area was also the subject of contention with the planning board. “This is going to be a detriment to the harmony of Waxhaw,” said board member Tony McAllister. “If we want Charlotte, we can move to Charlotte.”
Story said harmony with the town was considered when creating the plans for the store’s appearance. Wal-Mart added faux bricks to the façade, a third sidewalk through the parking lot, more lighting, bike racks and benches and saved two large, stately oak trees behind the building as a buffer.
“(Harmony) is a big issue, but it’s our issue, too,” Story said. “I hope you see these consultants have put a good deal of work into this.” Planning board member Gay Diller asked if the parking lot could be moved to the back of the building and the building moved closer to street. “I do think that could have helped with the appearance,” she said. “It would be more consistent with what else is going on in town.”
Duty agreed moving the store closer to the street was a valid option. “It would make Waxhaw Parkway an extension of downtown,” he said. But Wal-Mart spokesperson Tara Stewart did not think the option was possible because the store’s loading docks are behind the building and moving the parking lot to behind the store could lead to increased safety issues.
The next step is in the hands of the town’s board of commissioners. Hecksher said he believes the board will make its own decision, no matter what the planning board has recommended. “The planning board’s decisions have been overturned before,” he said. “I challenge anyone to come to the town meeting and say, ‘I want Wal-Mart to come.’ The majority of the town doesn’t want it.”

Waxhaw’s board of commissioners’ next scheduled meeting is Dec. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Museum of the Waxhaws, 8215 Waxhaw Highway.