Critics raise their voices against Rohnert Park Wal-Mart plan

Submitted by Anna on Fri, 09/25/2009 - 12:32

By BOB NORBERG
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
September 25, 2009

Wal-Mart’s proposal to add a supermarket to its Rohnert Park store was opposed Thursday by critics who said it offers low wages and few benefits to workers and will have a negative effect on other merchants.

“It’s a bad idea that couldn’t get worse,” said Dawna Gallagher, one of several who spoke at a hearing on the project’s draft environmental impact before the city’s Planning Commission.

Retail giant Wal-Mart is proposing to supersize its Rohnert Park store by adding a 35,000-square-foot grocery store that could open as early as 2011.

Wal-Mart’s low prices could be a boon to shoppers, who in interviews at several Rohnert Park stores this week said that during this recession, the cost of groceries is more important than ever.

Thursday night, however, it was only opponents who spoke during the 45-minute hearing. No representative of Wal-Mart spoke.

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