I find it interesting that Mr. Ownby told the BOS that a Wal-Mart in Powhatan would cost the county more road maintenance money. I worked for VDOT for 35 years before retiring in 2005 and for the record only two counties in Virginia do their own road maintenance, Arlington and Henrico. VDOT provides all other counties with road maintenance. If this is an example of Mr. Ownby’s facts then can we believe the other so called facts?

There are active plans in Chesterfield to build sidewalks and landscaping along Route 60 from the old village of Midlohtain sidewalk system to the old Cloverfield Mall were the City of Richmond is working to extend their old sidewalk system to it. The planners of this project which are a group of Midlohtain Bussiness Owners want to help it stop Midlohtain from decaying.

  The cool thing about these sidewalks is they are going to be built to very high stardards being 8 to 10 feet away from the highway with trees and bushes in the way. Curently I can not ride my bike out of my nighborhood do to Route 60 to get to one of the near by roads that would lead into Powhatan’s rural road system. A sidewalk or a bike path along Route 60 would act like a bottle opener to Route 60 bike bottle effect on the side streets and subdvisons.  Powhatan could build a Route 60 bike path or sidewalk but have it built to high stardards.

I can see that now a bunch of nuts on bikes mixing with the bunch of nuts in the cars, suvs, trucks,oh and the trash trucks headed to Cumberland. Not saying they are all nuts…...just what I see driving up 60 now.

They need to ask Walmart to build a sidewalk or a paved bike path along Route 60 from the Intersection of Page Road to Batterson Road to open up Route 60 to bike and pedestrain traffic. It would be nice in that you wouldn’t have to drive to go to the store and you could ride your bike or walk which would make a healther life stile. If we ask them now 10 or 20 years down the line the county and the tax payer won’t have to pay to build it if it has all ready been built and paid for by a privet builder. Building a sidewalk or a bike path would be the same as building a parking lot.

In fact they could make it apart of a larger bike path or sidewalk that would run from the Village of Powhatan’s sidewalk system to the vast growing Mildohtain Sidewalk system down by the Watkins Center. We can’t keep funneling more cars on to Powhatan’s over worked beast of burden US Route 60. There are a lot of subdivsions with in only two miles of this Walmart that would make it with in bike range.

im ALL for walmart in powhatan! The people that are sayin no will probably be the 1st to shop there if it does happen. Ever since i lived here (15yrs) i said powhatan needs a walmart so we wouldnt have to leave the county. In the long run it will save most money and time. Powhatan is growing regaurdless walmart comes or not. Why not have 1 big store that carries everything then to have 100’s up and down 60 if worried about saving land. JMO

Just out of curiousity, I wonder how many of the people who are so opposed to the Wal-Mart and “Chesterfielding” live in one of the MANY subdivisions in Powhatan? Subdivisions, after all, aren’t really my idea of a rural community and they seem to be popping up left and right.

Joy,

Yes, there are stipulations as to the type of business that can be in particular areas.  The 150+ acres that is south of Anderson highway along the re-aligned Stavemill Road is one such area where strip clubs and other “questionable” businesses can not locate.  This was done with community involvement - I attended the meetings along with a host of other folks that live in the area.

The citizens can fight Wal-Mart as much as they want, but you can rest assured that Wal-Mart did it’s homework long before anyone knew they were interested.  Thier lawyers will ensure that they meet county regulations, and the building will be built.  Let’s hope that the county’s architectural review board will force them to use the “colonial” brick facade on the building.

Now if we could just get the gross receiepts tax to be passed by the Board of Supervisors?

I am for Wal-Mart coming for Powhatan.  I am for saving money.  We have no choices in Powhatan for quality grocery shopping, you have to drive 20+ miles (one way) depending on where you live in the county to go to Walmart, that’s a lot of gas and time.  Food Lion has monopolized Powhatan, they have poor quality meats and are over priced on almost every single item compared to Walmarts grocery line.  As far as traffic, I heard the same argument over an asphalt plant opening in Powhatan.
Isn’t there traffic with all the folks driving to Midlothian?  For all the green folks what about all the damage to our planet driving all the time to Midlothian?  Walmart would offer jobs, much needed tax revenue to the county and I don’t think it would spoil the quality of life here in Powhatan.

Doug
Powhatan VA

Well when CVS wanted to come to Powhatan the co-called small town pharmacy opened a second store to block them….now they have a third store. I guess a smaller store/pharmacy would have never had a chance if CVS did not. I have even seen an old employee working at the NEW CVS at the Watkins Center. Maybe that is a case of someone wanting to drive more, make less…....... It is called Free enterprise people. Wal-Mart may have heard about it….. they are coming, they are cutting prices and after they are here they are taking your money and you are as happy as can because they had the last WII on this side of town……You can see it can’t you!

I don’t understand why so many people are fighting Walmart coming to Powhatan.  Just about everyone I live around goes to Walmart in Midlo or Shortpump.  It’s a shame that these small minded people are afraid of change.  The money that walmart generates in tax revenue would be great.  I can honestly say I don’t want my taxes to go up simple because of a shortfall on revenue.