by JONATHAN YORK
Walmart is planning to build a store on Kyle Parkway near Seton Medical Center Hays.
That would put the giant retailer right by the commercial center of town, just across Interstate 35 from H-E-B Plus and Target, Walmart’s longtime competitor.
“We have a community of houses built around our city core, but we’ve never really developed the commercial base that a city of 30,000 should have,” said Lanny Lambert, the city manager. “This goes a long way towards helping us get there.”
Walmart had not made a statement by press time. The city’s economic development director declined to comment, saying that the company should be allowed to have the first word.
There will be two public hearings on Walmart’s request for a zoning variance for its building plans at 5754 Kyle Parkway.
The first is 6:30 p.m. Dec. 13 at a Planning and Zoning meeting. The second is 7 p.m. Dec. 20 at a City Council meeting, unless that meeting is canceled for the holidays. Both of these hearings are at Kyle City Hall.
Marisa Classen, a Kyle-area resident who owns a business in Bastrop, says she expects to be there to oppose Walmart’s request.
“We don’t need one more big establishment in the city of Kyle,” Classen said. “We’re already getting the big chains there. I think the more we can avoid the big chain stores, I think the better Kyle will be.”
Another neighbor said that the retailer’s Buda location – about seven miles away – is close enough.
Their arguments might be moot, according to a city official who says Walmart does not need council permission to build on the site because the land is already zoned for retail development.
Asked about the expected competition, a Target spokeswoman said that the company’s focus is on pleasing its customers, not beating its competitors.
A manager at the Kyle store said, “That’s not something we’re allowed to, like, even remotely comment on.”
