Good Growth DeKalb Ends Fight Over Decatur Walmart

A group opposed to a planned Decatur Walmart Supercenter has ended its two-year fight to prevent the nation’s largest retailer from opening.

The DeKalb County residents who formed Good Growth DeKalb have ended their legal battle against the planned 149,000-square-foot Walmart Supercenter at the intersection of Scott Boulevard, Medlock Road and North Decatur Road, reports the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

“Faced with increasingly limited legal options, we accepted an invitation to meet with Selig Enterprises, owner of Suburban Plaza, on April 17,” the group said in a statement on its website. “This was a difficult decision and a difficult process and, while we continue to believe a Walmart is wholly unsuited to this location, our legal battle is now over.”

The group’s concerns included traffic congestion, lower area property values, harm to local small business owners, erosion of middle-class jobs for the community, and a net job loss in the region.

But the group said that in exchange for ending its legal fight, it received concessions, including funding for a sidewalk on Medlock Road.

“In exchange for agreeing not to pursue further legal action against DeKalb County over the granting of the Walmart building permit, we were able to obtain some relief for the individual plaintiffs whose homes are adjacent to the plaza,” Good Growth DeKalb told the Business Chronicle.

“We also negotiated gains for the community, including a commitment from Selig to contribute a significant amount of money for a sidewalk along Medlock Road between North Decatur Road and Church Street. In addition, Selig Enterprises will arrange a meeting between Good Growth DeKalb and Walmart to discuss issues of importance to the community.”

Walmart welcomed the end of the legal wrangling.

“Our new store means greater choice and more affordable grocery options for our customers, plus approximately 300 new jobs and a boost to the local economy,” Bill Wertz, spokesperson for Walmart, said in a statement to the Business Chronicle. “We greatly appreciate the support we have received from so many throughout the planning and approval process.”