[delts145]

Residents criticize Wal-Mart proposal

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700238152,00.html?pg=1


A rendering of the Wal-Mart proposed at Parleys Way in Salt Lake City where a Kmart now stands. (Clc Associates Inc.)


...Residents felt excluded from the public process when Kmart was built at the site about 40 years ago, Brown said, and many believe they haven't had a voice in Wal-Mart's plans to raze the Kmart structure and build a new supercenter in its place.

...The Sugar House, East Bench, Greater Avenues, Bonneville Hills, Wasatch Hollow, Sunnyside East and Yalecrest community councils have passed motions or resolutions opposing the rezone because it is not supported by the East Bench master plan. They also contend that the big-box store would increase traffic and harm local businesses.

...Troy Herold, vice president of Wal-Mart developer CLC Associates Inc., touted the merits of building a new store at the site, saying it would allow for more landscaping, more attractive parking and outdoor lighting.
It also would contain environmentally sustainable features "that are not feasible in a remodel of a 40-year-old building," Herold said.

Soren Simonsen, an architect and council member, disputed that claim, saying that old buildings can be remodeled to meet most green-building standards.

"Demolishing and rebuilding by its very nature is not a sustainable practice," Simonsen said.

The problem, Herold said, is that renovation is more expensive, and the Parleys Way project has a budget. A remodel wouldn't allow for the quality of design and extent of landscaping planned for a new store, he said.

.