There's an empty parking lot in Manatee County, Florida that should have had a Wal-Mart superstore on it by now. But slow sales in the United States are putting a crimp in a number of Wal-Mart projects. In Manatee County, Wal-Mart is feeling the heat of a slowing economic outlook.
You would think by now that local officials would know not to bother reading impact studies that are paid for by big box consultants---but it's a slow learning curve.
On August 21, 2009, Sprawl-Busters reported that Wal-Mart's wanted to get into Powhatan County,Virginia--and the response from neighbors was predictable.
Powhatan County has almost doubled its population since 1990. As of 2008, the population hovered around 28,000 people.
