Clovis residents have been watching this development take shape during the past year. Now the 192 thousand square foot Walmart, one of the anchor stories of the Clovis Crossing shopping development, will open its doors Wednesday morning.
The nearly 500-thousand square foot development project faced years of controversy. Those who were against the project say it violated state environmental law because it concealed information on water use, and did not fully address business vacancies and blight.
But a court of appeals determined that the environmental report was done properly. Construction started two and a half years after the city first approved the new store.
Several citizens groups and anti-Walmart organizations fought to block the opening of the new store. They worried about the environmental impact as well as the economic affect Walmart would have on long-time smaller businesses in Clovis.
The center is expected to generate at least a million dollars in tax revenue per year.
Home Goods will open its first store in the city for Clovis at the shopping center. Several other stores are also coming to the center, including Dress Barn, Petco and Dick's Sporting Goods.
The store's grand opening was at 7:30 Wednesday morning.
