Citizens’ Group Gives Up Fight to Stop Walmart in Suburban Plaza
The fight to keep Walmart from building a new super-store in a DeKalb County shopping center is over, with the citizens’ group Good Growth DeKalb dropping its court challenges against developer Selig Enterprises.
Good Growth DeKalb admits its remaining legal options were not strong, but Selig’s attorneys reached out last to the group last month, and the two parties agreed to end the court battle.
Construction will begin “almost immediately” according to Scott Selig who says his company agreed to Good Growth DeKalb’s request to help pay for a nearby sidewalk.
There will be other amenities at the “new” Suburban Plaza as well including “bike paths, and pedestrian areas, and architectural design and green space.” Selig says his company agreed to that almost three years ago in negotiations with another group, the Medlock Area Neighborhood Association, which supported the development plans as a result.
Good Growth DeKalb spokesperson Louise Runyon told WABE, “We’re very sorry, of course, to see Walmart coming in; there’s no doubt about that.”
However, Runyon says her group’s negotiations with Selig did yield construction and noise abatement considerations for homeowners who live behind Suburban Plaza.
“We fought a very, very hard fight,” said Runyon, “and we built a significant organization which has and will continue to play a strong role on behalf of communities in DeKalb County.”
Runyon says Selig has also agreed to help set a meeting with Walmart for the group to address issues she calls “of great concern to the community” Runyon also said, on the advice of attorneys, she could not reveal what those issues are.
WABE contacted Walmart but got no response before deadline on whether it will agree to take a meeting with Good Growth DeKalb.
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