Retail giant divides Palmer

May 6, 2005

JOEL DAVIDSON/Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - Rick Shields is a former Wal-Mart shopper. He lives in the Palmer area but used to drive to Wasilla to take advantage of Wal-Mart's guaranteed lowest prices.

A couple of months ago, Shields had a change of heart after discovering that the retail giant was surveying a possible building site in Palmer. He worried that Wal-Mart would snuff out Palmer's small town charm.

"Two months ago, my wife and I were shoppers at Wal-Mart," Shields said Tuesday. "But when they started looking into Palmer, we started looking at what they do."

The more he studied the company, the more Shields became convinced that Wal-Mart wasn't for him. He read dozens of reports about the impact of Wal-Mart on small communities. Shields said he disagrees with the companies hiring practices and building designs as well as the overall pressures he claims the company exerts on small businesses.

As a result of his studies, Shields helped form a group of like-minded anti-Wal-Mart advocates, who call themselves People for Palmer. This winter, group members began attending regular Palmer City Council meetings. They also quickly organized a board of directors to discuss strategies for preserving Palmer's small town appeal. Along the way, they broadened their vision and grew their numbers.

"We have 50 people our group now," Shields said. "There's six people on the board, and we meet every Friday at MTA."

Evie McNamee and Verda Lewis are small-business owners in downtown Palmer. Since joining People for Palmer, they say they've learned a lot about local government and the way cities develop.

"Anyone who thinks Wal-Mart is going to move in and not hurt the downtown businesses is crazy," McNamee said as she stood in Lewis' specialty cake shop, Thursday morning.

The group's focus has recently turned toward ways of directing Palmer's growth.

Members support recommendations by a city design team of University of Washington students about how to develop downtown Palmer. The study recommends establishing parks and encouraging downtown business growth, while preserving open spaces and greenbelts.

Last Friday, People for Palmer met with several council members and city officials to voice concerns about the city's large retail establishment ordinance. The ordinance was developed in 2004 as a way to control the design of so-called "big-box stores."

People for Palmer members don't think the ordinance goes far enough in restricting those types of businesses, and Shields said they want to see the ordinance expanded. Shields said his group is concerned that Wal-Mart will suck people and money away from the heart of Palmer and out to the outskirts of town.

"We're trying to maintain a balancing act," Shields said. "We don't want to be known as an anti-Wal-Mart group, but Wal-Mart poses a threat to downtown."

Not everyone agrees Wal-Mart would be bad for Palmer, and Shields himself admitted that if Wal-Mart does locate in Palmer, people will flock there.

"A lot of people enjoy shopping at Wal-Mart, and a lot of people are going to go there," he said. "The general public is aware that it is an inexpensive place to get what you want."

Steve Carrington, a member of the Palmer City Council, attended a recent People for Palmer meeting to hear the group's concerns.

Carrington said he doesn't think the city should force businesses out of town through unreasonably stiff regulations.

According to Shields, People for Palmer wants to see the large retail establishment ordinance limit the size of stores to the point that Wal-Mart stores won't want to settle in Palmer.

Carrington doesn't think that's fair.

"As a public official, I don't think I should be putting up fences for businesses," Carrington said.

Even if the city did block Wal-Mart from coming to town, Carrington said a store could be opened outside the city limits and bypass the city's ordinance altogether. In addition, Carrington said the city would lose out on sales tax revenues by forcing Wal-Mart to settle outside the city. The site recently surveyed for Wal-Mart is just barely in the city limits, across the street from the West Coast & Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.

"If Wal-Mart is coming to town, that site is probably a good one," Carrington said. "It would allow us to have influence on design and the plan of the site."

The large retail establishment ordinance ensures that building designs, landscaping, lighting and parking are acceptable according to city code. The ordinance was established after Fred Meyer made plans to build a store in downtown Palmer.

At that time, Palmer had no ordinance specifically regulating those types of businesses. Carrington said the city just lucked out when Fred Meyer agreed, voluntarily, to build in accordance with many of the city's requests.

With the ordinance now in effect, however, Carrington said the city has much greater leverage in making sure new businesses fit within the larger setting of Palmer.

Palmer City Manager Tom Healy said he doesn't think a Wal-Mart would necessarily conflict with the flavor of downtown Palmer.

"Palmer has a neat downtown," he said. "There is a lot of variety, and it is a unique place. The city and its residents recognize this."

Healy said the city is continuing to move forward with developing a comprehensive plan for future development. Those plans include ideas to expand walking paths, open spaces and enhanced outdoor markets. If anything, Healy said a Wal-Mart might just generate more tax revenue that could pour into those projects.

People for Palmer, however, doesn't think the tax revenue from a Wal-Mart store justifies the effects it has on the city.

"This could be an awesome little town. But when Wal-Mart comes, or any other big box store, they breed like rabbits," Shields said. "Pretty soon we'll look just like any other town. Allowing Wal-Mart to come to town is very short-sighted, in my mind."

Contact Joel Davidson at 352-2266, or joel.davidson@

frontiersman.com.