Big-box store fight in Chandler postponed

A rezoning request for a controversial commercial retail center in Chandler has been postponed until November.

The Planning and Zoning committee meeting, originally scheduled for Sept. 17th, will be held Nov. 5th, at 5:30 p.m. at the Chandler Public Library.

The center’s developers have drawn criticism for their ties to Wal-Mart and other big-box retailers.

The Riggs Gateway project, to be located on the northeast corner of Arizona Avenue and Riggs Road, has been a heated topic for many Chandler residents.  If the rezoning request is approved any retail business can be built, including Wal-Mart.

Kirk Sibley is president of Riggs Residents for Retail Diversity, Inc., a group opposed to the building of big-box retailers on the property.

Sibley says the projects developers, Diversified Partners, have close ties with Wal-Mart, and have built for them in the past.

His group is not opposed just to Wal-Mart, he says, but to any retail business of that size. They want what they call “neighborhood shopping” and not “destination shopping,” defining “neighborhood shopping” as smaller businesses and restaurants.

In 2004, Wal-Mart unsuccessfully attempted to build in this same location.

City planner Bill Dermody expects a large turnout at the upcoming meeting, with concerned residents ready to vocalize their opinions.

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