• Adios Walmart

It's official, Walmart will NOT be coming to Wildomar. 

After more years than I can count, the Walmart saga is unceremoniously over. To steal a phrase, it's not as bad as Amazon leaving New York, but it's still a setback.

(official press release further down in the blog)

You win some, you lose some.

Philip Serghini, Walmart's  Director of Governmental & Public Affairs, on why Walmart is not going forward with the project on Bundy Canyon and Monte Vista Road. 

Philip Serghini of Walmart seen at a January 2015 Wildomar Chamber breakfast at Denny's.

He cited a change in Walmart business and development strategy and online purchase/store pick up, they are scaling back their building program and the Wildomar site was one that was targeted for sale.

Walmart does not have a buyer for the property as of today.

In some corners it's considered to be good news/bad news... at least there is now a decision on the property status which may help the surrounding property owners go forward with their projects.

To me it's more bad news than good, but at least we don't have to keep wondering about it. 

The news is pretty fresh at this point, but I have to wonder if it will affect the Bundy Canyon Road widening project since Walmart had been conditioned to do much of it on that part of the road.

I remember first hearing about Walmart coming to Wildomar almost ten years ago. Then it started getting serious when they held community meetings back in 2014.

September 2014 Walmart Open House Blog

Below is a short video of the March 11, 2015 city council meeting where Walmart was originally approved. 

It's assumed that The President of Wildomar, a longtime opponent of Walmart coming to town, is ecstatic that his years of railing against the "Evil Walmart" has paid off. 
(If you don't know who that is, just ask The Wildomar Stop Sign... he may be able to help you with it.)

It's safe to assume that Miss Miller is also happy that Walmart won't be coming. Below is a classic clip where she shouted "no" as the city council voted to approve the project.

With Walmart being removed from the future of Wildomar, that also means several hundred thousand dollars in yearly revenue to the city, if not a million dollars now that the Proposition AA sales tax increase is but a few days from being implemented, will be off the table too.

If you'd like to read past blogs that touched on Walmart in Wildomar as it was going through the planning process, please click on the Walmart tag at the bottom of the blog.

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“There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.”
– George W. Bush

Wildomar Rap has to conclude that W was talking about Walmart in the W.

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