Wal-Mart Backlash

When Putnam County commissioners voted 5-0 to rezone a 235-acre potato field near Crescent City to make way for an 800,000-sq.-ft. Wal-Mart distribution center, they expected locals to hail the announcement -- and the 600 jobs it would bring to one of the county's poorest areas.

"I think it is really God's blessing," said Putnam County Chamber of Commerce President Wes Larson.

Instead, the move has sparked a grass-roots rebellion by residents concerned that the center will destroy their rural way of life. Opponents point to two related problems with the Wal-Mart project: The estimated 1,100 additional tractor-trailers that will roll through Crescent City every day when the center opens (a number that could eventually swell to nearly 5,000), and the limited time locals were given to review the project. While rumors of a large project in south Putnam had been swirling for months, specifics of the Wal-Mart proposal weren't announced until just before Christmas. Opponents say they had only a few days to digest the plan.

Wal-Mart advocates, including Larson, say the project was kept "confidential" until Wal-Mart's board approved the deal. He says the county had to move quickly to satisfy the retailer and meet deadlines for state economic incentives.

The center's opponents, who have hired local land-use attorney Michael Woodward and formed Lake Crescent Residents for Responsible Growth, picked up some well-heeled allies when leaders of bordering Volusia County announced they will take Putnam to court. Volusia County Council members say they also fear increased truck traffic and want more time to study the project.

Tags: Northeast