APPLE VALLEY – Despite the railing against retail or the ballyhoo of big-box benefits, voters from the Town of Apple Valley on Tuesday will decide the fate of Measure D – which seeks to amend the town’s development code to make way for a new Wal-Mart supercenter. More information on the Apple Valley Special Election for Nov. 19 can be accessed at sbcountyelections.com/elections; however, the two sides to this measure are briefly presented here for readers in this Buzz Note.
OPPONENTS – if they may be represented by the passionate rants of Citizens for Smart Growth Chairman David Mueller – doubt proponents’ claim that “sales tax money from Wal-Mart will enhance basic government service and you won’t have to pay for it,” according to a Sept. 7 commentary piece at liberty-tribune.com. “We floated bonds and created debt for some of those ‘essential’ services I’ve mentioned,” Mueller argued. “This is reality speaking here folks – not some tried and true measure formula for convincing people to approve this zone change using public safety as the reason it’s necessary! The public is safe – it’s our wallets that aren’t!” Mueller said that Apple Valley has “redefined zoning around government centers” by not putting commercial business and/ or office space next to Town Hall. However, the town has allowed retail stores to surround the civic center, he said. “Folks, that redefines dumb when it comes to smart land use and proper zoning for our future,” he said. “When does Congress get a Wal-Mart built across from the Capitol?”
PROPONENTS of Measure D have publicly rebutted Mueller’s criticisms at sbcountyelections.com/…rebuttal_against, inviting voters to join “the thousands of community leaders, local business owners, and Apple Valley residents that support YES on Measure D.” According to the Sept. 5 rebuttal filed with the San Bernardino County Elections Office of the Registrar of Voters, supporters of Measure D include Town of Apple Valley Mayor Curt Emick, Councilmember Larry Cusack, Apple Valley Unified School District Board Member Dennis Bender, Mojave Water Agency Board Member Carl Coleman, and Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce President Janice Moore. Proponents of the measure say it will provide “new quality jobs with benefits available to both part-time and full-time employees once eligible; hundreds of much-needed new construction jobs; (and) millions of dollars to our town’s tax base that could help pay for more police, fire, and emergency services – without raising taxes.” Supporters also argue that “Measure D is consistent with our General Plan and the existing land use designation for the site at Dale Evans Parkway and Thunderbird Road, (which) is ALREADY ZONED FOR RETAIL USE.” The rebuttal also claims that Wal-Mart “has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to numerous organizations and schools in the High Desert such as the Apple Valley Fire Protection District, Victor Valley College Foundation, the Apple Valley Police Activities League and many others.”
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Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, and more information on polling places can be found at http://sbcountyelections.com or by calling 800-881-VOTE.
