by Timothy Rutt
Four Altadena Chamber of Commerce directors met with representatives of Walmart and the property owner Tuesday morning to hear the retailer’s plans for the Neighborhood Market on Lincoln Avenue.
Daniel Harlow of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce revealed details of the confab at Tuesday night's meeting of the Altadena Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (ACONA).
“Obviously, the chamber is concerned, because it’s going to have a large impact on business here,” Harlow said. “But at the same time the chamber’s job is to promote commerce in Altadena of all sorts, not just small independent business.” Harlow said that the chamber hasn’t taken a position on the market, but will take up that question at next month’s board meeting.
Harlow said that Walmart was investing between $4 million to $6 million in the property. Walmart representatives said that about 60 percent or more of what is being sold in the Market will be food items. About 60 jobs will be created, and Walmart’s usual ratio is 60 percent full-time and 40 percent part-time, Harlow said. At least initially, the store will not sell liquor, which would require a public hearing for a conditional use permit (CUP).
“The first thing you need to understand is that [the market] is pretty much a done deal, “ Harlow said. “They don’t need a CUP, they don’t need a community hearing on this building. They don’t need an environmental hearing. It was already zoned for a grocery market.”
Harlow said that “There were things I saw that said they were trying to sneak this in and what not. They assured us that the lease was not signed until just a few weeks ago, and that’s why it was not announced before that.”
However, documents that came to light last week showed that plans for physical plant upgrades were being made under the Walmart name at least since September, 2011.
There will be one store manager, two assistant managers, a pharmacist, and a pharmacy technician, Harlow said. Walmart usually opens a hiring center before the store is open, and will likely locate that in Altadena. Average fulltime pay is $12.79 an hour, but Harlow said Walmart’s reps told him that some employees would be drawing minimum wage. The average pay for a store manager is over $100,000, and that job did not require a college degree, Harlow reported.
Opening day is likely to be in the first quarter of 2013, depending on the progress of construction, Harlow said.
UPDATE: Harlow did say at the meeting that the average fulltime Walmart pay was $12.50, but called us to correct that it is $12.79. That change has been reflected in the report.
