Walmart Denied Request for “Equal Treatment” at El Con

Reprinted from the  Arizona Daily Independent News Services

The Arizona State Liquor Board sided with the City of Tucson is denying a liquor license to WalMart for the El Con Mall location.

Board members cited the complaints of the neighbors of the mall at 3601 E. Broadway. The same mall houses Target which does have a liquor license.

The City of Tucson has worked actively to block the development of WalMarts and certain other big box stores.

Neighbors have fought the Walmart due to their insistence that it attracts “undesirable” people as opposed to the more “desirable” people who shop at Target.

In March, the City killed plans for a Sam’s Club at the northwest corner of Irvington and I-19.

Sam’s Club would have been completed this year, in an underdeveloped, economically poor area in Tucson’s Ward One. It would have added approximately 160 new jobs; it would have brought about $4 million to the city coffers from the sale and as much as $750,000 more in impact fees. In addition, it would have brought an estimated $1.5 to $2 million annually in sale taxes for many years to come.

The Arizona Liquor Board: J.D. Ghelfi, Chairman, (R) Maricopa County, Bill DuPont, Vice Chair, (D) Pima County, Jim Carruthers, (R) Yuma County, Tim Linden (R) Graham County, Robin Cantrell (I) Graham County, Vikki R. Scarafiotti, (D) Maricopa County