Walmart Expansion Denied by Chico City Council

Tuesday night the city council voted to reject the project in a heated meeting that led to angry exchanges between some council members. 

It's a complex situation that nearly everyone has an opinion about: Walmart, but there may be a census on one thing. 

It’s a real mess.

Tuesday night Walmart came to the table with new ideas to reduce the environmental impacts of the project, although they say its already environmentally friendly. 

Walmart spokesperson Angie Stoner says, “We’re also proposing an associate ride share program if the project is approved. Walmart’s ride share program will help improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion by reducing commuter trips to work.” 

But Walmart's efforts were quickly shot down by opponents.

Tamera Yates opposes the expansion and asks, “Is it right for Chico, does it follow our general plan? I don’t believe it is.” 

The concerns surrounding the economic and environmental impacts were matched with demands to approve the project. 

One supporter says, “You're not walking the talk your policy basically said you were going to do what you could to support economic development in Chico.” 

The hot-button issue even sparked conflict between council members Tom Nickell and Larry Wahl.

Wahl spoke out earlier and feels it's not fair for the council to impose the strict restrictions, like requiring Walmart to incorporate solar panels in the design. 

Wahl says, “These are things we haven't asked any other retailers to provide, so I don’t know if it’s fair to require them to do it.”

So after years of debate on the issue it came down to Tuesday's final vote, the council rejected the expansion 4 to 3.    

A hot issue in Chico, cooled Tuesday night by the council. 

Walmart can choose to submit a new application for it's Chico expansion project and start the process all over again. 

But under city rules, it must wait at least one year before reapplying.