Tag Archives: walmart

Proposed Walmart Project: Update And Clarification

Photo courtesy: Google Images

Photo courtesy: Google Images

City of Eastvale

EASTVALE– City officials are announcing that a citywide mailer sent in late 2015 by the Walmart retailer was premature and inaccurate.  The mailer gave the impression that a proposed Walmart store had been approved and circumvented the planning process.
The printed mailer entitled, “Introducing a Walmart Supercenter for Eastvale,” was sent to Eastvale homes in December 2015, according to city officials who received comments from concerned residents about the mailer. The mailer, which highlighted features of the proposed store, left many residents with the impression that the Supercenter had been approved due to wording such as “The store will be …” and “… will create.”
City Manager Michele Nissen, emphasized that the city is processing an application for a store like the one in the mailer, however; it has not yet been reviewed by the city’s Planning Commission and City Council as required by law.
“Walmart has not yet obtained the required approvals,” said Nissen.  “They are still in the planning phases and can’t build anything on the site without the necessary approvals.”
“We have been working with Walmart to get them through our very rigorous review process since the filing of their application in 2014,” continued Nissen.  “We were surprised to see the language of their mailer, which seems to portray the project as already approved. We can certainly understand the confusion and we felt it important to clarify the approval process.”
According to the City’s Planning Director, the project will likely be scheduled for public hearings later this year, after the release of a comprehensive environmental analysis of the project in a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
“The Draft EIR, which covers a very wide range of topics, will be available for the public to review for 45 days,” said Eric Norris Planning Director. “The City has retained an independent firm to prepare the document, which we hope to have completed and ready for public review in the spring of 2016.”
“Comments received from the public and other agencies will be responded to after the EIR’s public review is complete” said Norris. Those responses will then, in turn, be provided for review and comment.  Public hearings will be scheduled, most likely in late 2016.
The proposed Walmart would be located on approximately 20 acres of land at the southeast corner of Limonite and Archibald avenues. Walmart has owned the 20-acre parcel for approximately six years.  The proposed project includes a 192,000-square-foot Walmart location, as well as several smaller buildings that would house other businesses and a gas station. The project requires approval of an amendment to the City’s General Plan and Zoning Map, as well as approval of the applicant’s development plans. All of these will be reviewed by the Planning Commission and ultimately voted on by the City Council. Both the Commission and Council will hold public hearings on the project.
The City encourages citizens to stay abreast and informed of this and other projects and City events by signing up for E-Notification on the City’s website:www.EastvaleCA.gov.

New Walmart For Diamond Bar

Neighborhood market offers affordable groceries and new jobs to area

 

neighborhood-market-california-WEB

Staff Reports

Diamond Bar – On Wed., July 8, Diamond Bar’s new Walmart Neighborhood Market opened its doors amid fanfare and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“We are excited to be part of the Diamond Bar community, providing residents a variety of merchandise at a convenient location,” said store manager, Jorge Orozco.

The new store employs up to 95 full- and part-time associates. Orozco began his Walmart career in 2003 as an hourly unloader associate.

The store will provide local residents with low prices on a broad assortment of merchandise, including groceries and a drive-through pharmacy.

Fresh produce and a full line of groceries from leading brand names, including organic selections, are available. By working directly with growers, Walmart is able to provide farm-grown, quality produce at added convenience and low prices. There is also a wide variety of meat and bakery selections, including fresh baked breads and tortillas.

The pharmacy offers a full range of products and services, and pharmacy team members are ready to assist customers with product and prescription questions. Diamond Bar residents can easily transfer prescriptions and order refills on the go with the Walmart mobile app for iPhone and Android.

The 41,000 square foot store is dedicated to meeting the needs of local shoppers.  In addition to groceries, the store features health and beauty aids, pet products and cleaning supplies. Customers can also shop an additional 7 million items online, including toys, electronics and home decor on Walmart.com through Walmart Pickup, which will offer free shipping to the Diamond Bar Walmart Neighborhood Market.

In addition to grants given as part of the grand opening, the new store will further Walmart’s pledge to fight hunger in America. As part of Walmart’s and the Walmart Foundation’s $2 billion commitment to fight hunger through 2015, Walmart stores in California donated approximately 23.1 million pounds of food, in fiscal year 2014, or the equivalent of 19.3 million meals. Additionally, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $47.1 million in fiscal year 2014 in California alone. For more information on Walmart’s fight against hunger, visit http://foundation.walmart.com/our-focus/hunger

The new Walmart is located at 1180 S. Diamond Bar Blvd, and is open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.  Check them out on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/walmart4762.

What’s Up With Walmart?

Aerial view, looking north on Archibald (Photo Courtesy: City of Eastvale)

Aerial view, looking north on Archibald (Photo Courtesy: City of Eastvale)

By K.P. Sander

Eastvale/Ontario/Chino – If you’re up on your social media sites in and around the City of Eastvale, you may know that as far as the proposed Walmart coming to Eastvale goes, some citizens can’t wait, and some citizens think it is a concern for the reputation of the City.

Whatever your position on this subject is, the reality is that a Walmart is coming to town.  And not just your average Walmart; a 177,000 square-foot, 24-hour Super Walmart “Green Store”!  According to Walmart, they are proposing that part of their environmental plan be directed to boost energy efficiency, cut down on waste, and reduce greenhouse gasses tied to global warming.  The mega discount retailer has plans for this particular Walmart as a nationwide pilot store.  It could also potentially provide about 100 jobs for the community.

The 2014 Grand Opening of Eastvale’s Walmart – which was projected in early 2013 – has come and gone due to delays on and around the 40-acre property located on the southeast corner of Limonite and Archibald avenues – the soon-to-be mega intersection that borders Ontario and Chino. If you have traveled in that vicinity lately, you know that the gauntlet on Archibald Avenue north of Limonite Avenue is a bit of a challenge – from the new Park Place housing tract under construction, up toward the 60 Freeway.

Initially, the 120-foot electrical transmission towers that grace the property were going to be moved elsewhere because they affected the street widening needed to accommodate the higher volume of already congested traffic that Walmart would bring to that area.  The cost to move the towers was reportedly about $1 million, not to mention the liability issues absorbed by the new location – possibly in Ontario or Chino.  And then, of course, there was the “who” in the payment department…Walmart or Southern California Edison, who would have to mastermind the relocation?  As a solution, there was initial talk of placing concrete barriers around the towers.  SCE recently stated that they have agreed with Walmart that conceptually, the transmission towers will not need to be relocated.

According to SCE, they sent a letter to Walmart on Jan. 22, 2014, requesting detailed engineering plans in order to proceed with the planned review.  Walmart representatives informed SCE that the project – at that time – was too early in the planning phase to draft the plans, but they would be forwarded as soon as they were complete.  At this time, SCE has not received anything from Walmart, so there is currently no action for them to take.

Eastvale: Got Walmart?

BY K.P. SANDER

Eastvale – Talk of a Walmart coming to Eastvale has been around the town for quite some time. The property at the southeast corner of Archibald and Limonite is the destination of the project, which is still in the preliminary planning phase, as in, can this really happen?

According to the City of Eastvale’s Public Information Officer, Michele Nissen, Walmart is still a go. The popular retailer is currently in negotiations with Southern California Edison over a 66KV line that sits on Archibald Avenue. Apparently SCE wants Walmart to relocate the line when the road is widened, but Walmart is not keen on spending the $1 million to get it done. Once an agreement has been reached in this regard, the actual planning stage can begin. It could be a year before it comes before Eastvale’s Planning Commission.

According to their website, Walmart operates nearly 11,000 stores in 27 countries, including 282 retail establishments in California. They employ 2.2 million employees, or associates, worldwide, and expect fiscal year 2014 sales of approximately $473 billion. Their mission is to help people around the world save money and live better, and try to keep integrity as the cornerstone of their operations from retail transactions to community giving and global responsibility. But Market Watch (Wall Street Journal) has recently noted that the company has reported five straight quarters of declining same-store sales in the U.S., with Sam’s Club sales dropping for two straight quarters. Should we be concerned?

As if this weren’t enough, CNNMoney recently reported that the National Labor Relations Board challenges that Walmart “unlawfully threatened, disciplined and/or terminated workers for engaging in legally protected strikes and protests.” At the heart of this challenge are 60 workers – 19 of whom were fired – who walked off the job in strikes aimed at better pay and benefits in 2012 and 2013. The U.S. Government will have a say in whether this was all done legally, and Walmart could be forced to reinstate the terminated workers and provide them with back pay depending on the outcome of forthcoming court dates. And legalities are part of the norm in any business, especially in one of this size, however the decision could have an effect on employer/employee relationships everywhere.

Despite the recent ruckus, the retail giant could still be a boon to Eastvale by bringing a potential $1 million in sales tax revenue to the City, and another way to “roll back prices” for more than 57,000 Eastvale residents – as well as those in nearby Chino and Ontario. If they can re-gauge their target markets in alignment with new initiatives to better sales, Walmart may indeed help Eastvale save money and live better.

Walmart Still Planning Eastvale Store

Photo Courtesy ofGoogle MapsWalmart is slated for the south east corner of Archibald & Limonite.

Photo Courtesy of Google Maps
Walmart is slated for the south east corner of Archibald & Limonite.

By Michael Armijo Eastvale- Walmart is still scheduled to come to Eastvale, but plans are still in the preliminary planning phase. If approved, it will be built in the South East corner of Archibald and Limonite, according to city officials. “Walmart has submitted a preliminary application to the planning dept. for a site,” said City Officials. “This is in the very preliminary planning phases and will still need to go through the Planning Commission and City Council.” According to Mayor Ike Bootsma, environmental impact reports (EIR) still need to be completed, and the planning commission needs to review and approve. “This could bring over $1 million in sales tax revenue to the city,” said Mayor Bootsma. “Residents will have an opportunity to review plans and offer opinions at City Council meetings before the project breaks ground.” According to local reports, this Walmart will be a 24-hour Super Walmart around 177k square feet, improvements will be made to area roads for accessibility, other tenants will occupy the location with Walmart being the only large anchor store, the building will be a “Green Store,” a part of their environmental plan to boost energy efficiency, cut down on waste and reduce greenhouse gases tied to global warming, which will be considered a nationwide “pilot store.” “Walmart purchased the property and they came to the City of Eastvale and asked for an application to build,” said Eastvale’s City Manager Carol Jacobs. “So this was all initiated by Walmart. Some cities make it an effort to try to draw Walmart to them, then they usually ask the city for money to help build the store, with the promise of sales tax revenue in return. According to city officials, Walmart has not asked for anything and the city has not offered anything. “They are going to need to do some environmental work, a general plan and zoning amendments,” says City manager Carol Jacobs.” Though Walmart and Sam’s Club regularly build in close proximity of each other, Jacobs says this location will be strictly a Walmart. This process will take about 10 months, and then it will be presented to the City Council. If approved by all necessary agents, Walmart believes it will open in 2014, according to Jacobs.