ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, June 6, 1996 TAG: 9606060094
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON
As the Roanoke Valley greens up, motorists on Interstate 581 still can see Wal-Mart's new superstore near Valley View Mall. A hole in the landscaping canopy has for some people perforated the giant retailer's image locally.
Edward Bennett, vice president of a local packaging firm, accused the company of skimping on landscaping at the new store. He made the charges in a letter to The Roanoke Times that was published Wednesday.
It turns out that the landscaping met the city's standards when it was planted last year but now needs some sprucing up. The harsh winter and snow piles created by plowing of the store's big parking lot wiped out about 25 percent of the trees and shrubs, said Tom Tasselli, a city planner.
The most visible shortcoming perhaps is between the store and the highway. By comparison, a row of mature of trees screens out most visible signs of the adjacent mall from the road. Tasselli said the mall's developer, Faison and Associates of Charlotte, N.C., voluntarily undertook landscaping steps that went beyond the city's requirements when it built the center in the early 1980s.
Wal-Mart said it intends to fill in the gaps at its new store, probably within a year.
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