Gettysburg Super Walmart

[John Hartwell]

It should be up to the locals. If they want change and are ready to move on then who are we to criticize? Right?

Oh, we have every right to express our opinions, to try to persuade, to make alternative offers (coming up with enough $$$ would be helpful). But, it is up to the people who live in Gettysburg, those who have to deal with the facts of everyday living there to make the final decision. We hope they will make a decision we can be comfortable with.

 

[EJ Zander]

I read the land value is 8 million.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Someone could ask Gettysburg civilians. It'd be a new concept. The town was a little swiped from under their noses beginning July 4th, 1863, first tourists arriving, McConaughy vaulting dead horses to greet them. ( I just made that up but it's close. ) Citizens aren't always beautifully represented by elected officials.

Little surprised at Walmart. They do incredible research on these sites, must know a storm of controversy would be inevitable. It had to occur to someone they could come across as the bad guy, building there.

 

[RobertP]

Always remember the old saying about whose ox is being gored.

 

[bdtex]

Whenever I am campaigning,one of my first stops when I arrive on the field is the local WalMart/Dollar General/et.al. to draw rations and water. Just being truthful.

 

[RobertP]

Whenever I am campaigning,one of my first stops when I arrive on the field is the local WalMart/Dollar General/et.al. to draw rations and water. Just being truthful.

Life moves on. Most people have more to do and broader interests than continuously re-visiting the same battlefield, unless it's their way to make a living. Those folks deserve a voice too, don't they?

 

[bdtex]

Life moves on. Most people have more to do and broader interests than continuously re-visiting the same battlefield, unless it's their way to make a living. They deserve a voice too, don't they?

I have not visited Gettysburg yet,so I can't say what kind of job opportunities are there or what kind of tax base they have to fund their municipal services.

I will add that when I visit anywhere like that,I buy local. I pump whatever I can into the local economy as it exists right then and there.

 

[E_just_E]

This land isn't part of the battlefield.

Depends on your definition of "battlefield". On day 1, the whole town, for example, was part of the battlefield. This land in discussion was part of Camp Letterman, the primary medical facility that treated soldiers from both sides right after the battle as well as burial ground for the ones who perished at Camp Letterman.

 

[FarawayFriend]

It should be up to the locals. If they want change and are ready to move on then who are we to criticize? Right?

It's no coincidence that this is the exact same argument that is used in the "Removal of Confederate Monuments" debate, is it?
To me, one hurts as much as the other.

 

[RobertP]

Depends on your definition of "battlefield". On day 1, the whole town, for example, was part of the battlefield. This land in discussion was part of Camp Letterman, the primary medical facility that treated soldiers from both sides right after the battle as well as burial ground for the ones who perished at Camp Letterman.

Wasn't the area of Pickett's Charge a tank training ground in WW1? Shows how much the US Army thought about Hallowed Ground in 1917.

 

[IrishBrigade]

I was reading posts from a couple of residents on a Facebook group I'm a part of who seemed to welcome it. Gettysburg/Adams county seems to have higher taxation than other towns in the immediate vicinity. I'm not familiar with how taxation is applied in the US but it certainly seems to vary a lot more than in Ireland. The higher tax rates if true were being blamed on the national park with is a Federal facility and funded from Federal tax dollars as far as I understand? One poster seemed glad that Walmart and more development would bring real jobs and real salaries, again another odd thing to me as I wouldn't have thought Walmart would have paid good wages or had good benefits?

Gettysburg gets circa a million visitors a year which brings some serious money into the local economy, is this a case of killing the goose that laid the golden egg? I know I would have never set foot in the place only for the Battlefield, I spent money in shops/bars/cafes and hotels as did everyone else. I'm sure there's towns nearby that would love a million visitors every year! If someone local could enlighten a confused foreigner again it would be appreciated.

Back on subject, I agree with the above that the whole town and surrounding areas is pretty much a battlefield, they put a McD's and a KFC and a hotel on the field of Pickett's charge so a Walmart on the edge of town is an already developed area doesn't seem that much of a leap. Having never set foot in a Walmart I understand the existing one is comparitively small, is there scope to develop the existing one? Is there a larger one nearby, I think you need a car to go to these mega shops anyway so it's not unreasonable to put it out of town? The Outlet mall is a little out of town but well within easy driving distance, maybe they could put it up near there? There does appear to be options close by.

It would be a shame to see Gettysburg become another shopping mall, I liked the quirky shops and 'Mom and Pop' feel to the place. My limited impression was that Gettysburg, the town, was doing pretty good. It had more going for it than your average small town in Pennsylvania mainly thanks to tourism and seemed like a pretty nice place to live.

PS if you think you're paying high taxes come over to Europe for a while 23% sales tax in Ireland! That's just for starters.

 

[wilber6150]

Theres already a walmart supercenter a couple of minutes from downtown Gettysburg

 

[MRB1863]

I may be not understanding this whole issue to a degree....what is wrong with remodeling the current store which is about across the street? What will become of that land if a new WalMart is built? Will it sit dormant and abandoned?

 

[Belle Montgomery]

It should be up to the locals. If they want change and are ready to move on then who are we to criticize? Right?

@huskerblitz
Change their address or history? Most people choose a neighborhood for a reason. Slippery slope especially when there's freeways to go anywhere you want in 2018, don't forget realtors too.

Joni Mitchell sang it best...:edited by yours truly

They took all the battlefield trees
And put them in a Gettysburg tree museum
And they charged all the people
A dollar and a half to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
'Till it's gone
They paved a history lover's paradise
And they put up a Walmart parking lot

 

[Irishtom29]

I hope the Walmart will allow overnight RV parking.

The world is a battlefield.

 

[Patrick H]

Walmart is not afraid of some controversy. They get some opposition practically everywhere they go. Nor are they afraid of more than one store in a town. There are at least three supercenters in the nearby town of Columbia, Missouri. (Of course, there are a couple of WM heirs living there, too.) Their market research has apparently told them that the Gettysburg area can support more than one store. With that many visitors a year, I don't doubt it. They'll find a place to put it. This doesn't necessarily make them the bad guys. In my town, they rebuilt and modernized a problem highway intersection near their new store. Then they leased their former store to a central Missouri owned big box farm and home store, which somewhat surprised me. They don't usually lease to their own competition, but I guess they figured this farm and home store had limited overlap in merchandise.

I am not familiar with Gettysburg so I don't know the location being proposed. But I suspect the current owners really do want to sell it. I agree the other locals could buy it if they want to preserve it.

 

[James N.]

Theres already a walmart supercenter a couple of minutes from downtown Gettysburg

... Their market research has apparently told them that the Gettysburg area can support more than one store. With that many visitors a year, I don't doubt it...

I seriously doubt that - the one there however isn't one of the BIGGEST though, and that's no doubt what they want to build. In my home town, when they did that, they simply walked away from the first one leaving it an empty hulk, which it remained for several years before eventually being subdivided into other things, including a restaurant. The same will no doubt happen here - the existing store will become something else, adding to the sprawl.

 

[EJ Zander]

There is already a walmart basically across the road from the proposed new one. It does a good business. The current one is small and not super. Locals I know are not opposed to it or want it. They wouldnt build these projects if there wasnt a demand for them. One was supposed to go up at Lincoln's Commons closer to the Rt30 and 15 interchanged but they backed out. There is a CVS and some other stores going in there.
Here is a map of that project for reference.
http://www.atapcoproperties.com/property-search/lincoln-commons/

Wages in Adams County lag behind all neighboring counties.

 

[cash]

There is already a walmart basically across the road from the proposed new one. It does a good business. The current one is small and not super. Locals I know are not opposed to it or want it. They wouldnt build these projects if there wasnt a demand for them. One was supposed to go up at Lincoln's Commons closer to the Rt30 and 15 interchanged but they backed out. There is a CVS and some other stores going in there.
Here is a map of that project for reference.
http://www.atapcoproperties.com/property-search/lincoln-commons/

Wages in Adams County lag behind all neighboring counties.

I asked early on if this was the same proposal that's been around for years. I smell a skunk here. It seems to me this proposal keeps making its way into the papers by way of the GBPA and not the Battlefield Trust. I suspect it's a fund raising ploy by the GBPA to resurrect an old proposal every so often to stimulate contributions for them to fight it.

 

[EJ Zander]

You may be right.
The plan was put forth at the 8/22 planning meeting. According to the article they have till the end of Sept to decide. Next Planning meeting is 9/26.