Orange officials vow to defend Walmart decision

ORANGE — Orange County will “vigorously defend” its decision to grant a special-use permit to Wal-mart Stores Inc. for a Supercenter near the Wilderness Civil War battlefield.
In a statement issued Thursday, county attorney Sharon E. Pandak responded to a legal challenge filed Wednesday by preservationists and residents who live near the Locust Grove site for the 138,000-square-foot store.

The Circuit Court lawsuit is aimed at blocking construction of the store near the Wilderness, one of the nation’s most endangered Civil War battlefields.
Opponents contend the store will be a blight on history.

In addition to Friends of Wilderness, the 41-page filing includes the National Trust for Historic Preservation and six residents of Orange and Spotsylvania counties who live near the planned store site.
Pandak said supervisors met all procedural requirements and provided plenty of opportunity for public comment.

She said the board will seek to have the lawsuit dismissed.

They have 20 days to file a response in the Orange court.