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CENTERVILLE, Utah (AP) -- A group has filed a lawsuit to prevent construction of a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Centerville.
The South Davis Regional Community Foundation, co-founded by former Centerville resident David Putnam Jr., filed the lawsuit in 2nd District Court in Farmington.
"We feel it's a very important cause to preserve the beauty of the special community of Centerville," Putnam said. "And we don't feel a huge Super Wal-Mart right in the middle of the community would be suitable for the community."
Putnam said the board of adjustment should not have granted a permit for the project because of the traffic and safety dangers revealed in studies. He said it should not be permissible to have such a large store in a small city with only one freeway interchange.
"The traffic is too dangerous," he said. "We have 2,100 schoolchildren in Centerville."
City Manager Steve Thacker does not expect that the lawsuit will prevent the project from going forward.
Wal-Mart officials are hoping to receive a final approval from city leaders in April for a site plan and a development agreement between the parties.
Putnam previously filed a lawsuit in November against the city's decision to grant Wal-Mart a conditional-use permit, but it was dismissedon the ground of it not being filed in a timely manner.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
