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Neighbors protest big box development in Madison South

By Eric Hendricksen

The East County News, Mar 9, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (7 Reader comments)

The vacant parcel of land across from Madison High School on Northeast 82nd Avenue has never been a highlight of the neighborhood, but in recent months, the site has become the focal point for an increasingly common struggle going on between local communities and large-scale developers.

Once a gravel pit, the Madison South neighborhood lot has been used as a garbage dump and a golf driving range throughout the years, never in a rendition particularly pleasing to area residents. The land stood vacant for five years, but in 2005, Canadian-based developer SmartCentres began expressing interest.

SmartCentres is a major retail space developer, and touts a significant relationship with Wal-Mart, which has drawn opposition from communities in Portland and nationwide based on a perception of unfair business and labor practices. According to the SmartCentres website, the majority of its retail centers are “anchored by a Wal-Mart store.”

In 2006, the development company filed a formal application to rezone and develop 240,000 square feet of retail space at the site, up from the 60,000 square feet of commercial space for which the spot was originally zoned. Smart Centres did not respond to calls made by East County News.

While the company’s relationship with Wal-Mart may have helped provoke a not-in-my-backyard response to SmartCentres among Madison South residents, according to Frank Walsh, co-chair of the group Save Madison South – organized to fight the proposed development – neighbors are most concerned about the rezoning effort.

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