Empire Center

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Wednesday gave attorneys for the city of Burbank and Walmart four more months to prepare their defense against a lawsuit filed to block the mega-retailer from opening adjacent to the Empire Center. The additional time could further delay Walmart's plans to open at the former Great Indoors site, where no work has been allowed since a court-ordered injunction was issued last month. “I'm not in a hurry anymore. Everybody's gotten over being in a hurry,” said Superior Court Judge Ann I. Jones after the attorneys made their request.

In reply to the letter to the editor regarding the traffic issue and Walmart (“ Walmart traffic issue is a red herring ,” Sept. 19), it's probably true that the traffic problem is a non-issue. I really wonder, though, do we need another superstore in the Empire Center? We already have a Target and a Costco, and a Kmart not that far away. Perhaps Whole Foods is not the answer, but anything but a Walmart, please. The type of people the store attracts, and the crime, would be bad for the rest of the businesses in that area.

On Wednesday, Sept. 5 a letter was published in the Burbank Leader stating that we should forget a Walmart and that Burbank should look into a Whole Foods Market instead. Well, oppositionists blocked a Whole Foods Market from opening in Burbank years ago. As I recall, they complained of the same kind of traffic issue then as has been used in the Walmart case today. During their effort to get the city to deny the Walmart permits, oppositionists submitted a petition signed by 2,000 persons.

For the folks in Burbank who oppose Walmart under any and all circumstances, a California court's recent decision to halt construction on our new store in Burbank is cause for celebration. But it is hardly good news for those in the construction industry who would benefit from hundreds of needed construction jobs, nor for Burbank residents who want the retail positions and expanded access to affordable goods that would accompany the opening of a Walmart in Burbank. Our critics' rationale for the delay is that the city must build certain traffic improvements before it issues a building permit to Walmart.

Instead of putting in another department store, i.e. Walmart, in the Empire Center, perhaps Burbank should look into adding a Whole Foods market. The closest ones are in Glendale and Sherman Oaks, and I think it would be a good choice for Burbank. Not only would it be a place people could shop for organic foods, but would also provide jobs. Just something for the City Council and the owner of the Empire Center to consider. Anjanette McFarlin Burbank

I am just one of hundreds, if not thousands, of Burbank residents who are awaiting with enthusiasm the opening of Burbank Walmart here in Empire Center. I am sure that the traffic will not be a problem at all because since day one that the Empire Center was opened, the parking area was never filled to its capacity, meaning the place is big enough for all the commercial businesses around, and there are so many alternative routes to take. Besides all the job openings and revenues for Burbank, which is very good indeed, what matters most is the convenience it will give the buying public to have a nearby Walmart.

After a judge this week issued an injunction effectively halting progress on a planned Walmart adjacent to the Empire Center, a spokeswoman for the retailer called it a “shortsighted” stall tactic. Actually, the delay is working out to be more of a prudent turn of events, given the fact that we all now know just how intrusive the massive carpool lane project on the Golden State (5) Freeway has shaped up to be. Even if Walmart decides to appeal the injunction - imposed to allow for the outcome of a lawsuit filed to force the city to address concerns about the mega retailer's impact on traffic and local businesses - a grand-opening date of sometime in late 2014 will surely be pushed back.

A court-ordered injunction issued Thursday against a planned Walmart in Burbank could sideline the project and force the city to prove the world's largest retailer won't cause significant harm to local roadways and businesses. Walmart had been planning to renovate the former Great Indoors site adjacent to the Empire Center in time to open in mid- to late 2013, but the Los Angeles County Superior Court injunction on Thursday effectively stops all work until the claims raised in a lawsuit filed by three Burbank residents earlier this year are settled.

I wish to thank Mark Kellam for his recent article on the status of the Walmart litigation (“ Walmart case has its trial date set ,” July 25). I am livid that, in my opinion, the union recruited these three women into filing this lawsuit. If they were represented by independent counsel (not UFCWU), I would be less inclined to believe they are just trying to further their special interest (organized labor) disguised as environmental concerns. Protesters dislike Walmart's non-union position and allegedly inferior employee compensation/benefits.