Residents of the Village of Creekside Park have rallied to oppose the upcoming construction of a Wal-Mart store planned near the village. The proposed Augusta Woods Village development, which includes Wal-Mart and multifamily housing, is located 100 feet south of The Woodlands, in unincorporated Spring.

At a June 18 Woodlands Township board of directors meeting, the Coalition Against Wal-Mart, which is composed of Creekside Park residents, solicited the assistance of the township in hopes to stop construction of the 186,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter. The store is planned to be located at Kuykendahl Road and Augusta Pines Drive, just south of Timber Creek Elementary School.

Michael O’Neal, director of information for the coalition, said his children will attend Timber Creek Elementary School. O’Neal asked the board to consider his concerns regarding the proposed construction.

“Wal-Mart brings 6,000 vehicles per day,” he said. “This is something we can’t have right behind our elementary school.”

The proximity of the school to the planned site creates a safety risk for children, said Kira Becker, director of communications for the coalition.

“What will happen with the gas stations near the school?” Becker said. “What are the day-to-day implications for our community? What happens if Wal-Mart—which loses $1.3 billion to shoplifting—what happens if a shoplifter runs? Does the school get shut down? Do we have the resources for our first responders to keep on top of that?”

According to a fact sheet distributed at a Creekside Park homeowner’s association meeting by Dan Morales, director of public affairs and government relations for Wal-Mart, trucks will use Augusta Pines Drive for deliveries.

“We’re asking to move the driveways to the middle of the development, and Wal-Mart said ‘We don’t have our truck deliveries mingled with customer traffic,’” O’Neal said.

Morales did not respond to requests for comment as of press time.

Construction on the Wal-Mart Supercenter is due to begin this fall, with an opening date planned for fall 2016, according to the fact sheet.

At the June township board meeting, director Ed Robb said the coalition’s efforts will most likely be futile.

“This project will not be successfully stopped,” Robb said. “This is private property outside our jurisdiction. We are not in charge of roads. I think influence is what [the township] can bring to the table, and we will do that enthusiastically. But if the energies of the group are to stop it, they will not be successful.”