Walmart's recent announcement of its intentions to build a neighborhood market at the corner of Falcon Landing Blvd and Westheimer Parkway in the heart of Cinco Ranch was quickly met with resistance from nearby residents. Residents are concerned that the proposed Walmart's proximity to Rylander Elementary will create a safety hazard to children attending the school. Efforts to keep Walmart out of the neighborhood have included appealing to the Katy ISD school board and Fort Bend County Commissioner Andy Meyers.
Walmart's Neighborhood Markets, which are an average of 38,000 square feet, are significantly smaller than its Supercenters, which average 182,000 square feet.
"A Neighborhood Market is about one-fifth the size of a Supercenter and gives our customers quick and easy access to a wide variety of affordable products," Walmart Director of Communications Anne Hatfield said.
The store will also host a gas station, and parents are concerned it will draw in traffic that will make their children's walk or bike ride to school more dangerous. In addition to Rylander, Cinco Ranch High School and Junior High are within walking distance of the future Walmart site.
Gabrielle Leonard, a mother of three children who will attend Rylander, is one of the citizens leading the effort to prevent the construction of the Walmart. While the retail giant's plans are often met with opposition from the public—Katy residents are also organizing against a Walmart to be located on FM 1463—Leonard said any large store would be unwelcome in the area.
"This isn't a campaign against Walmart, it's to raise awareness of what's going in around the school," Leonard said.
Parents are also worried that benzene contained in the gasoline could potentially put Rylander students at risk for acute myeloid leukemia, Leonard said.
"The major causes of acute myeloid leukemia is from exposure to benzene. The most prevalent ways to be exposed to benzene are cigarette smoke and gasoline," she said. "It's going to be right next to the school with an air conditioning system that's going to be in-taking all the emissions from the gas station."
Rylander parents and nearby residents have staged protests and posted a petition on change.org to prevent Walmart from moving forward with its plans. The petition has received more than 2,000 signatures. They have also turned to the Katy ISD school board.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission prohibits the sale of alcohol within 300 feet of a school. However school boards can vote to petition the county to extend that range to 1,000 feet. The Katy ISD school board voted in favor of the 1,000 feet restriction at its June 23 meeting. The issue will now go before Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers and the commissioners court, Leonard said.
Because the school board voted to petition the county prohibit the sale of alcohol within 1,000 feet of all district schools, not just Rylander, the issue is more complex.
"The school board decided they didn't want alcohol to be sold within 1,000 feet of any school in Katy. It makes it more complicated," Leonard said.
Fort Bend County will have to decide how to enforce this prohibition as some existing stores and restaurants fall more than 300, but less than 1,000 feet from a school. LaCenterra is across the street from Cinco Ranch High School, and many of its restaurants serve alcohol. If the county approves KISD's request, it will have to decide whether to apply the prohibition to new businesses and grandfather in existing ones, or apply it across the board.
Walmart did not respond by press time to requests for comment on the resident opposition.
