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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Friday, December 6, 2002

Group sues to halt Wal-Mart work

By David Waite
Advertiser Courts Writer

A loosely knit citizens' group has gone to court in an effort to block construction of the proposed Wal-Mart/Sam's Club superblock fronting Ke'eaumoku Street, claiming the city should not have allowed any work to proceed on the project without a full environmental impact statement.

Citizens Against Reckless Development, the United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 480 and Honolulu resident Jim Becker filed the lawsuit yesterday morning in Circuit Court.

The lawsuit, filed on the group's behalf by Honolulu attorney William Saunders Jr., seeks a court order blocking further work on the project until an impact statement is done.

"The project will result in a very significant increase in traffic, diesel and auto emissions, dust and noise — both during the construction phase and during operation once the project is completed," Saunders said in a printed statement.

The city has not held any public hearings on the project and neither the city nor the developer has addressed the environmental impacts, Saunders said.

"We are trying to prevent this huge project from being railroaded into this community without a full and fair consideration of how it will affect nearby residents and businesses ..." Saunders said in the statement.

But Wal-Mart spokeswoman Cynthia Lin said last night from her office in California that the zoning for the site allows construction of the project.

"We do not believe a vocal minority speaks for the vast majority of Honolulu residents," Lin said.

She said Wal-Mart believes the grading and foundation permits for the project were properly granted by the city.

"We started meeting with neighborhood groups several years ago when we first looked at the site. We have made a number of attempts to address the traffic and other issues," Lin said.

She said Wal-Mart has built "thousands of stores across the country" and "in many instances, has resolved the kinds of issues that are being raised here."