To the editor:

The editorial in the May 14 Lawrence Journal-World accuses the city commissioners of “playing games with the ‘use group’ listing, which is used to approve certain types of stores for specific locations in Lawrence” in order to keep Wal-Mart from building at Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive. The editorial also states that although Wal-Mart is willing to “play by the rules,” the city commissioners are not.

Wal-Mart is attempting to justify building a supercenter at Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive on the basis that it is a “variety store,” as defined by Ordinance No. 7491, effective March 8, 2002. This ordinance created the current zoning for the corner under discussion. Any who read the ordinance carefully will note that the definition of Use Group 12, under which “variety store” and other retail stores (such as art supply stores, camera stores, florist shops, etc.) fall, states that these are retail stores which “have a small service area.”

Since a Wal-Mart supercenter is a very large store which serves a very large area, it could not qualify as any type of store under Use Group 12. By failing to read this part of the ordinance, representatives of Wal-Mart and the editorial writer miss a critical point in Ordinance No. 7491.

The language of the ordinance is clear. The city commissioners are not playing games with the use group listing. We and they are just trying to get Wal-Mart and others to read the ordinance carefully and to abide by it.

Alan L. Cowles, president,

West Lawrence

Neighborhood Assn.