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Wal-Mart presents options to residents
By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN, Times Staff Writer
HUDSON -- Wal-Mart officials envision four possible ways for drivers to get in and out of a proposed supercenter at U.S. 19 and Beacon Woods Drive. They met Wednesday night with residents to get feedback to their plans and stress the importance of a full traffic signal at one of the store's entrances to avoid problems like those at U.S. 19 and Ridge Road, where a supercenter opened in March 2001. "It's every intention of Wal-Mart to go forward with this project," David Campbell, Wal-Mart's project engineer with Kimley-Horn & Associates, told a crowd of about 250 people at the Beacon Woods Civic Association center. Regarding the critical question of traffic on Beacon Woods Drive, a prospect that has galvanized the community, Campbell spoke of four options. One idea: Have an access road from the Wal-Mart site to Beacon Woods Drive so that motorists could use the traffic signal at the road's intersection with U.S. 19. Motorists could also drive in and out of the store parking lot north of the intersection through another entrance. The second option: Move the traffic signal on U.S 19 farther north of Beacon Woods Drive. The current signal would become a "partial signal," preventing motorists from turning south onto U.S. 19 from Beacon Woods Drive. The third option: Close part of Beacon Woods Drive through cul-de-sacs so that motorists leaving Wal-Mart could not pass through the community. But residents then would not be able to use Beacon Woods Drive to get to Wal-Mart or the Kmart shopping plaza at the southeast corner of U.S. 19. While residents clapped at this option, Campbell pointed out that the county would have to approve the closing off of a public road. In the fourth option, Wal-Mart would seek a traffic signal at the northern tip of the store site and U.S. 19. However, Campbell added, the company would have to buy additional property and homes from the current residents living there. He stressed that the company will do whatever state transportation and county officials allow and works best with Beacon Woods. Some residents remained unconvinced. Carl Spoeth got a standing ovation after reading a statement criticizing the company's business practices, environmental impact and the potential safety risks from expected increased traffic cause by the proposed store. "Why would anybody want you as a neighbor," Spoeth asked. Campbell pointed out that the site is a current abandoned mall. The store would bring new jobs, officials said. "It's a redevelopment," Campbell said.
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