Public hearing on Walmart Supercenter is Tuesday

There’s a flyer circulating through town encouraging Walmart proponents to voice their support for a new Walmart Supercenter during a public hearing Tuesday.  

“We need the city’s approval in order to bring a new store to Porterville. Please join Walmart supporters and voice your support for a new store in the Riverwalk Marketplace and the many benefits it will bring to Porterville,” the flyer states.  

The Porterville City Council is set to review the matter during its regularly scheduled meeting, set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, in the council chambers at City Hall.

Proponents and opponents alike will be allotted time to speak during the public hearing portion of the meeting.

After the hearing, the council will consider certifying the project’s Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR), a document that describes the environmental impacts associated with the project and also presents mitigation measures to reduce such impacts.

If the council approves the document and it withstands any legal challenges, the project will likely move forward.

Council review of the Final EIR was delayed in May after the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District requested a study to determine if the proposed store’s pollutant emissions would violate state or national air-quality standards. The California State Department of Transportation (Caltrans) also contributed to the delay, after it raised several concerns related to traffic and circulation.

The approximately 22-acre project site is located northeast of the Highway 190 and Highway 65 interchange and is bounded by Indiana Street to the west and Springville Avenue to the north.

The size of the full-service supermarket store was reduced from 181,463 square feet to 161,602 square feet in July 2010. It’s expected to operate round the clock and will require a staff of about 300 employees.

Also on Tuesday’s agenda:

- the council may authorize Parks and Leisure staff to negotiate a contract with Visalia-based Quad-Knopf, Inc. for landscape, architectural, and engineering design services for the Chase Avenue Neighborhood Park.

Staff anticipates the consultant fee to be approximately $135,000 to $150,000 for complete engineering and architectural services.

Contact Denise Madrid at 784-5000, ext. 1047 or dmadrid@portervillerecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @DeniseMadrid_