Officials: Demand for Cave Creek Walmart underestimated

A landslide victory for in Cave Creek's election surprised the town's top officials, who described the record turnout as "overwhelming." Voters supported the retailer 3-to-1 in last week's election, solidifying the future presence of a supercenter in the rustic community. "I think we didn't realize how strong the demand is (for a ), until this vote," Cave Creek Town Manager Usama Abujbarah said. Final election results showed 1,461 and 1,462 votes in favor of Propositions 400 and 401, and 489 and 492 votes against, respectively. The measures support a General Plan amendment and rezoning for to build a store southeast of Cave Creek Road and Carefree Highway. Abujbarah said voter turnout was the highest in Cave Creek history, surpassing a previous record of 1,281 votes set in 2000. said he did not expect such results. "Our citizens are sending a very clear message about what path they want us to take," Francia said in an e-mail. While Cave Creek has traditionally favored open space over development, the turnout suggests that there may be a lack of large retail and services in the growing Northeast Valley.

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