Planning Against Wal-Mart

Montana Community Rallies to Cap Big-Box Stores

By Tad Sooter, 4-13-06

Ravalli County Commissioners, after moving meeting venues twice to accommodate a crowd of some 1,300 people, passed a resolution Wednesday to limit the size of new retail stores in the county.

The crowd was overwhelmingly in support of the 60,000-square-foot cap on stores, although some did speak in favor of letting large retailers set up shop.

“It has been a watershed moment in the Bitterroot, with all these people coming out to support a zoning ordinance,” said Russ Lawrence of the Bitterroot Good Neighbors Coalition, a citizen group that supported the proposal. “I think people are just tired of having their futures happen to them. The people who live here and care about what happens here want a hand in their future."

The massive turnout was partly spurred by Wal-Mart’s desire to open a Supercenter in the valley.

Ravalli County administrative assistant Glenda Wyles said Wednesday's meeting was originally scheduled for the commissioner’s conference room but organizers soon realized they would need bigger quarters and moved to the Hamilton Middle School auditorium. But even that wasn't big enough.

“It became more and more apparent throughout the day that we wouldn’t be able to fit everyone in the auditorium, so we went ahead and got the gym,” Wyles said. “I’ve worked down here for about 13 years and it was the biggest crowd for a public meeting I’ve ever seen.”

In addition to the crowd's input, the commissioners received hundreds more comments in by mail and email.

The ordinance also requires stores between 25,000 and 60,000-square feet to include myraid of design elements, like awnings and landscaping, to combat the blocky, bland appearance usually associated with big retailers. By passing the ordinance, the county hopes to be proactive in preserving the character of the Bitterroot.

Lawrence said Hamilton, the county seat, may follow suit with a retail ordinance of its own.

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