Walmart opponents may find themselves facing a giant game of Whack-A-Mole if they are successful scuttling plans to build a store in the Virginia Ranch project.
In 2006, when rumors that Walmart was eyeing Washoe property for a store in Gardnerville were at their height, the Tribe had a letter of intent from Walmart.
The year before, Yerington farmer Butch Peri, who owns land near Carson Valley Medical Center, said he had plans to sell land to Walmart.
According to a report in the Tribal Talk, Washoe Tribe newsletter, talks quieted and then stalled. When the news broke this summer that Walmart was talking to Virginia Ranch, the tribe contacted the discount chain.
"The tribe was notified on Aug. 12 that Walmart is intent on pursuing through completion a deal on the Virginia Ranch project in Gardnerville," was reported in the letter.
In response, the tribal council is considering a due dilligence code that requires businesses interested in Washoe land to be serious about it.
According to the article, the Tribe intends to attract retail and and manufacturing to their site.
The Gardnerville Town Board is scheduled to hear a design review of the Walmart project on Dec. 1. The Community Development Department is scheduled to review the design by mid-December.
