City Intends to Fight for Wal-Mart Grocery

A seemingly endless legal battle over a planned Wal-Mart grocery store on the Southside is headed for one more round in the courtroom.

Jacksonville filed its plans to appeal a ruling that overturned a City Council decision to allow a 40,000-square-foot grocery store at Atlantic Boulevard and Bartram Road.

A state administrative judge ruled the proposal violated the city's plan for future development and, in September, the Florida Cabinet upheld the decision.

The city is appealing the decision to the First District Court of Appeal. That court's decision is expected to be the final ruling in the case. Attorneys from both sides said a ruling could come in the spring.

In October 2003, the council voted 13-2 to approve the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market, the Arkansas-based retailer's new stand-alone grocery store. Dozens of nearby residents packed council hearings on the issue, saying the location is outside the commercial district and that the 24-hour business wouldn't fit in the neighborhood.

The proposed site is just west of the busy intersection of Atlantic and University boulevards.