Walmart Hears From Public About Memorial Drive/N.Hairston Store Plans

The Community Council Ok'd the recommendation of a new Walmart on Memorial Drive and N. Hairston Road Tuesday, with the condition that the world's largest retailer provide further information on its plans and a traffic study.

Indeed, the proposed store's impact on traffic was one of the main concerns voiced by residents and some Community Council members during Tuesday night's meeting at the .

Walmart wants to build a new 150,000 square foot on the site of a former Suzuki dealership. The company said the store would create 250-300 jobs.

Residents, merchants and council members raised questions to Walmart representatives about everything from shopping carts pushed off the property and competition, to convenience to senior citizens and the disabled, to stormwater issues and the comings-and-goings of big trucks.

There will be other opportunities for the public to give input: a planning commission meeting will be held Nov.1 at 6:30 p.m., DeKalb County Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive in Decatur; Walmart representatives will attend the regular meeting of Pride Rings in Stone Mountain (PRISM), Nov. 10 at in Stone Mountain, 7 p.m.; and Nov. 15, Board of Commissioners, 6:30 p.m. at the DeKalb County Auditorium.

One resident who lives near Lauren Parkway wanted to know what the impact of  the activity from big trucks would be to her.

The company said it won't expand Lauren Parkway, a curved road that meets Memorial Drive on one end, Hairston Road on the other, and runs behind the proposed site.

A traffic study is underway, representatives said. The store would have 613 parking spaces, two entrances, and buffer space. The nearby median on Memorial Drive would remain intact.

"We're looking to get that drive-by traffic," said Walmart spokesman Glen Wilkins. "I think you'll be surprised. It's more of a drive-by where they can stop, shop and keep on going."

A 35-year resident of the Hickory Hills neighborhood applauded Walmart for choosing Memorial Drive, a once-thriving corridor that has seen big businesses leave the area over the years.

"It was the pride of DeKalb County," Bobbie Unger said. "Look what we have now. I'm glad you think we're worth the investment back into the community."

Outside the meeting, Unger said residents who live near Memorial Drive often travel elsewhere for their retail needs - Tucker, Northlake, Avondale.

"If somebody is willing to come in and redevelop Memorial Drive, I don't know how we can say no," she said.

Betsy and Ken Hall, owners of Hall's Flower Shop and Garden Center, which in November will have been in business for 65 years, spoke to Walmart reps after the presentation.

The Halls said they are not opposed to the store, but hope -- and asked -- that it have no landscape component.

"I'm excited to have another place to run in," Betsy Hall said. "But they need to be good to the people that are here."