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After a long and ugly battle with the locals, a Wal-Mart Super Center has opened in South Austin. Though the original plans for the retail giant to build on a different environmentally sensitive spot were thwarted, the new site is right on the headwaters of Blunn Creek.
The closest neighborhood association, South River City Citizens, came to an agreement with Wal-Mart regarding their treatment of the creek in 2003.
As many people know, Wal-mart is often criticized for it's business practices among other things. We will not defend them by any means, but we did raise an eyebrow back in April when they made this announcement:
Acre for acre, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it would buy an amount of land equal to all the land its stores, parking lots and distribution centers use over the next 10 years. That would conserve at least 138,000 acres in the United States as "priority" wildlife habitat.
Too little too late? What do you think, Austin?
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I bet they'll be buying the land where the Mom and Pop stores that went out of business used to sit. Just to add insult to injury.
it sounds like a load of BS. and if they purchase the land, it will probably be crappy land that wouldn't have been developed anyway. walmart is ruining america, and i refuse to go there.
Of course, Wal-Mart reserves the right to sell off the land they buy at a later time. So long as they maintain their land quota, it's cool by them!