Blacksburg Celebrates Its Elitism

It looks like Wal-Mart may not find a home in Blacksburg after all. The town council there has won its case that found its way to the Virginia Supreme Court:

Blacksburg town council wins supreme court case against superstore
By Tonia Moxley, Roanoke Times

Blacksburg -- In a landmark decision on Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court handed the town council -- and residents who sided with it -- a major victory in their two-year fight to regulate a big-box store widely thought to be a Wal-Mart Supercenter.

The ruling, posted Friday on the court's Web site, affirmed the council's right to require Fairmount Properties of Ohio and partners to apply for a special-use permit to build a 186,000-square-foot store off South Main Street. [link]

The article goes on to say that this won't prevent Wal-Mart (or the developer) from seeking a special use permit from the town of Blacksburg, which is true, but if you understand that the reason the council threw up this latest impediment was to keep Wal-Mart out, it becomes fairly obvious that the effort will do the retail giant no good.

So the taxpayers in nearby Christiansburg - and its Wal-Mart - will benefit from the elitist attitutes of the people of Blacksburg. Both are happy.

And, as long as the snobs in Blacksburg can continue to suck from the teet of its primary benefactor, the state of Virginia and its deep pockets - think Virginia Tech - they will continue to
block progress. If preventing a Wal-Mart from coming to town discourages poor people from living there too, well, it's a win-win for the ... liberals ... there. Right?

Shed no tears for Wal-Mart. They'll do just fine. Here's hoping they locate property just outside Blacksburg town limits and build a colossal Super Center, with the myopic town leaders realizing not one red cent from the effort.