Should Local Government Regulate Wal-Mart?

Local governments have every right to regulate local Wal-Mart stores, writes columnist John Hooker.

1 minute read

March 5, 2004, 7:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"Wal-Mart can be a good neighbor, but it can also be a very big bully. After all the public hearings, it is ultimately its choice of how to behave in our towns and neighborhoods. It's not always the neighbor we want... I is fair for local governments to require that as Wal-Mart and other "big boxes" outgrow their obsolete boxes they keep the old properties lit and clean, even if they don't lease or sell them. It is reasonable to require these large stores to adapt to the character of the local community, whether on the highway or on Main Street if that is what the community expects."

Thanks to Laura Kranz

Thursday, March 4, 2004 in The Albuquerque Tribune

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