Vermont Braces For Supercenters
by June 7, 2004 12:00 am 99 views
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has put the state of Vermont back on its list of most endangered places because the group said Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to build large stores there.
Richard Moe, president of the nonprofit preservation group, said Vermont’s “special magic” would be wiped out by the Bentonville company’s big-box stores. Moe said Vermont is known for its small towns, “and many of these downtowns would be decimated by this.”
Mia Masten, community affairs manager for Wal-Mart’s eastern region, said the company plans to build one 150,000-SF discount store in St. Alban, Vt., but that’s the only store planned for the state.
“It’s not a Supercenter,” she said. Wal-Mart Supercenters sell groceries as well as items that are sold in the discount stores.
Masten said Vermont currently has four Wal-Mart discount stores but no Supercenters.
Vermont first made the National Trust list in 1993, when it was the only state without a Wal-Mart, and the Trust worried about impending plans for construction of several stores.