Empire Center

A recent pepper spraying incident at a Walmart store in Porter Ranch where an angry female shopper injured 20 people, with the shooting of two people in the parking lot of a Walmart store in San Leandro, should be proof enough that Burbank does not need this retailer in our midst. In addition to the excessive traffic it will generate, Walmart attracts many people of criminal or disreputable character who are prone to violence. City Council members, notably Mayor Jess Talamantes, say there is nothing they can do to keep Walmart from opening in Burbank.

Walmart representatives said more than 200 Burbank residents signed cards in support of a new store planned near the Empire Center at a public input meeting Monday, but some who attended the event complained that it was structured to downplay community concerns. Inside the former Great Indoors building where Walmart plans to open a store adjacent to the Empire Center, five stations were set up covering a variety of store functions, such as operations, construction and environmental sustainability.

Opponents of a Walmart in Burbank have lost a potential weapon in their fight after Gov. Jerry Brown's veto of a bill that would have required economic-impact reports on how big-box stores would affect the local economy. Brown said Senate Bill 469 by Sen. Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) would have added an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. “Plenty of laws are already on the books that enable and, in some cases, require cities and counties to carefully assess whether these projects are in the community's best interest,” Brown said in his veto message.

The irrational sign-wavers are out in uber-emotional force decrying Walmart and its imminent opening in Burbank (“Protesters rally against Walmart,” Sept. 20). They claim to be worried about potential job losses in Burbank if Walmart opens, but in their dazed and hazy excitable states they overlook that there have been at least three other large vacancies in Empire Center in the past few years that were in no way attributable to Walmart. Further, but wholly ignored by the antis, the currently vacant, non-profit producing, non-employing, non-wage-paying Great Indoors went out of business all on its own - Walmart had nothing to do with that failure, either.

After weeks of local fretting - or anticipation, depending on which side of the fence you're on - Walmart has confirmed that it plans to move into the former Great Indoors site adjacent to the Empire Center. When the move will occur, and in what form the store will take, remains to be seen; company representatives say plans are still preliminary. It's in this stage of the game that Burbank residents should get involved. With the question of whether a Walmart is or isn't a good fit for Burbank apparently moot, the game now turns to one of design.

Months after purchasing the former Great Indoors site in Burbank, Walmart representatives say they plan to open a store there, calling the 120,000-square-foot building a prime location. Walmart had declined to confirm plans to move into the space until this week, after a feasibility study found a store in Burbank would be successful. Walmart spokesman Steven Restivo said he expects the company will use all of the 120,000-square-foot building, but added that “leasing opportunities within the store are to be determined.” Sometimes the mega-retailer leases space to other retailers, such as a small restaurant or nail salon, if it is putting a store in a large building, he said.

I suppose that the radical few to protest a Walmart in Burbank have enough money to pay above retail for what they buy (“Walmart detractors line up to say no,” Aug. 13). However, how about the rest of us? A Walmart would increase traffic in the area? If you want traffic, go over to the Costco area. Twelve acres would cause parking problems? Huh! Drive out other retailers? Competition is the American way. Increase crime? Best Buy and Target never had a shoplifter? Noise and pollution?

With the speeches over, Jess Talamantes was free to roam the crowd of thousands filling Olive Avenue. He'd already danced with Mickey and Minnie on the steps of City Hall, bantered with a band and weatherman Fritz Coleman, and now he was free for the last order of business at Burbank's centennial party: join his neighbors not as mayor of Burbank, but as a father, brother, husband and friend. That was a few weeks ago - a fortuitous honor that he be elected by his City Council peers to serve as mayor on the 100th anniversary year of the incorporation of the city.

Walmart is the biggest and strongest department store in the world. And we could see it in Burbank soon (“Walmart to engage community,” July 20). It will have its good and bad effects on our community. After the public's swift and blistering reaction online to news that Walmart may move into the Great Indoors store next to the Empire Center, a “No Wal Mart in Burbank” page on Facebook was created. I and lots of people joined this page to share our opinions and suggestions.

As Walmart considers what to do with the Great Indoors site near the Empire Center, the company has assured Burbank city officials that it will seek public input on amenities and store hours, should they choose to move in. Walmart spokesman Steven Restivo said Tuesday that the company has experience in hosting forums in cities where the mega-retailer has opened. In Washington, D.C., where Walmart is scheduled to open four stores, about 60 community meetings have been held during the past several months, he added.