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If they haven't already, Wal-Mart's current leaders should visit George Washington's boyhood home east of Fredericksburg.
At Ferry Farm, as the site is known, they'll find an archaeological dig and tourist attraction. What they won't find is the store that their corporate predecessors fought to build there in the mid-1990s.
After many months of bad publicity, Wal-Mart executives dropped those plans as local opposition began to spread nationwide. Rather than risk alienating customers, the retailer accepted a compromise that turned the land over to a foundation. The store was built further from view of the site.
A similar, equally avoidable controversy is mushrooming on the western edge of Fredericksburg. Wal-Mart wants to build a "supercenter" near a national park commemorating the Battle of the Wilderness, where Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant first met in conflict.
A Circuit Court judge recently rejected a request by Orange County officials to dismiss a lawsuit over approval of the project. The plaintiffs, who include nearby residents, contend officials didn't take the area's history, among other things, fully into account.
The suit may lead nowhere. But the opposition to Wal-Mart's plans is likely heading somewhere.
As the 150th anniversary of the Civil War approaches, many Americans will turn their eyes to landmarks like the Wilderness. And many won't look kindly upon the prospect of a Wal-Mart so close to the park.
Development has crept near the park in recent years, but nothing is on the scale of Wal-Mart's plans. It's in the wrong place, just as the proposed store at George Washington's boyhood home was.
There's still time for Wal-Mart's current leaders to strike a deal with preservationist and county officials. The Ferry Farm compromise showed it's possible to honor property rights, advance economic development and preserve an important piece of U.S. history.
All Wal-Mart has to do is remember its own history.
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Walmart
Jobs at Walmart are not family wage jobs. Low paying jobs cannot enhance a community's standard of living. We need to preserve open spaces with historical significance. Remembering where we came from,and how we got here as one country, is more important than buying a cheap shirt. Once these special places have been developed they will be gone forever.
Off Base
Let me start by saying that I love history and am a strong advocate of preserving important historical sites. We need to balance historic preservation with jobs & economic opportunity, but this site doesn't rise to the level of important historic sites. The land in question is nearly two miles from the closest area of actual fighting during the Battle of the Wilderness - Saunders Field. There are more than 20 retail stores in between the National Park and the proposed Walmart. I've seen this site for myself and can attest that it simply will not take away from the historical experience of the park.
Zoning issues need to be ironed out at the local level because local leaders are best positioned to separate legitimate arguments from those that don't pass muster. In this case the local board voted 4-1 to approve the store. These preservation groups filed a lawsuit to slow down the process, but my sense is that their suit is a long shot. This store will employ 300 people in that community. Yes, by all means we should protect history, but not on this site.