ATASCADERO, Calif- A decision has finally been made after nearly seven years of debate. In Atascadero, the City Council voted to approve a Walmart Shopping Center and Annex. Now this situation has been played out before.
It may seem a little like "groundhog day" to residents of San Luis Obispo County. In the late 90's Arroyo Grande had a long debate regarding building a Walmart Shopping Center in their city.
Since then, Judith Bean, the President and CEO of the Arroyo Grande Chamber of Commerce says it has helped the city and neighboring stores thrive. Something stores, across the street from the new Walmart and Annex shopping center, believe will happen in Atascadero as well.
"We think that the sales are going to be better because, we are going to have more foot traffic, there will be more people who go to Walmart and will find us," says Dena Brians, Assistant Manager of Kelly's Casuals. Even stores that are in direct competition feel optimistic about it. "Walmart will always be a traffic generator and our goal is to have our store looking as good it can all the time so that when people drive by they see us as a viable option," says Pete Novak, Owner of Atascadero Grocery Outlet.
There are some concerns. One worry is that sales may drop in the beginning for local stores, but with additional traffic there is anticipation that sales will see an up tick overtime.
"I think they might go there because it is something new but I think they will eventually come back to the people they have shopped with all this time," says Lori Holsapple, Manager of Kitchen Collection.
Many local businesses hope these new additions will help the city grow, and possibly become a hub for locals & tourists. The city says Walmart could open two years from now.
