No Wal-Mart in their Backyards

by Amy L. Webb

Attention Wal-Mart shoppers: Residents of Port Richmond would rather you look for markdowns elsewhere.

As City Council decides this week whether they’ll allow construction of a Wal-Mart store adjacent to Northeastern Hospital on Allegheny Avenue , residents are ready for a showdown.

"People who have never gone to go to Council meetings are taking time off of work," says Laura Lanza, a member of the Port Richmond Community Group. "They're hiring babysitters and they're hand-painting signs. This has been a really big issue for everyone in the Port Richmond area."

The proposed area is the abandoned GB Goldman Paper Co. site, which is just a few blocks away from Aramingo Avenue. Stores such as Kmart, Acme, Pathmark and Toys R Us already line either side of the street.

"For those of us who live here, it's hard," Lanza says. "There are 1,500 kids who walk to and from school that use the street that the Wal-Mart would be on. The traffic is significant and a new superstore will jeopardize the safety of our roads and access to emergency services at the hospital. Why not allow a traffic study to be conducted first?"

First District Councilman Frank DiCicco has sponsored a bill that would change the site's zoning from C1 commercial to ASC (Area Shopping Center), which means that additional retail stores could set up shop along the property. DiCicco has said that he believes the project would both provide economic stimulus for the Port Richmond neighborhood and remove blight.

Still, residents are concerned that construction of the Wal-Mart would block access to their local hospital and its potential expansion. The Port Richmond Community Group sent a fax to all City Council members last week urging them to block the proposal.

"We have weathered the closing of Parkview Hospital, Neumann Medical Center and Episcopal Hospital," the fax says. "We do not want to jeopardize the only remaining hospital. We do not want to add a Wal-Mart offering 300 low-paying, part-time jobs with no benefits."

Northeastern Hospital representatives have said that the proposed Wal-Mart would block access to the facility and would hamper plans to expand the emergency room and parking lot.

If the bill is approved, the Allegheny Avenue Wal-Mart would be the city's third store. Wal-Mart stores are located at 4600 E. Roosevelt Blvd. and on South Columbus Boulevard.

Wal-Mart employs 1.14 million people worldwide and grosses more than $100 billion every year in sales.

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