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Locals Prepare to Sound Off About Planned Burbank Walmart
Photo by Walmart Stores via Flickr
Tonight's City Council meeting in Burbank is gonna be a doozy, as residents opposed to a Walmart going in at the Empire Center sign up to sound off. In fact, the Council is prepping to hear "a long list of grievances," about the new mega big box shop according to CBS2.
The store is poised to take over the 120,000-square-foot Great Indoors space at the Empire Center, which is a heavily trafficked retail destination boasting a Target "Greatland," and a Lowe's Home Improvement, in addition to numerous large clothing, sporting goods, and home decor retailers. The Empire Center property is practically abutting the local Costco as well.
Walmart has yet to reveal if the store will stock groceries, how it plans to occupy the space, and if they will operate 24 hours a day.
Locals are concerned primarily about traffic flow, while others object to Walmart's politics and policies. Some object to "the type of clientele [Walmart] attracts."
As one blogger points out, Burbank has seemingly wanted a Walmart for nearly two decades, even aiming to secure a spot in the Empire Center before it was the Empire Center.
If our comments are any indication of the public's general reaction to the planned Walmart, the mood is divisive; some are eager to see the highly successful retailer bring jobs and more shopping options to the area, while others firmly object to them setting up in Burbank.
You can access the City Council meeting agenda online.
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