After a decadelong courtship, Wal-Mart leaves Atascadero at the altar

After courting Wal-Mart for more than a decade, the city of Atascadero has been jilted. And for that, we offer it a bouquet of condolence.

For leading it on, Wal-Mart gets a bargain-rate brickbat.

Atascadero has been trying for years to build up its commerical district, and it was counting on Wal-Mart to play a big part in that. It also was looking forward to the approximately $580,000 in annual sales tax revenue the store was expected to generate. Now, Atacadero’s city leaders have to shake off the loss and move forward.

It’s hard not to feel some sympathy for Atascadero’s left-at-the-altar predicament, even if you’re among those who questioned the need for a Wal-Mart in Atascadero when there’s already one in Paso Robles.

Under the heading of silver lining, at least Atascadero won’t have to sink millions of dollars into building a roundabout to handle the traffic. And while there will likely be plenty of other issues for the citizens to debate, Wal-Mart will no longer be dividing them.

This story was originally published February 10, 2017 at 4:01 PM with the headline "After a decadelong courtship, Wal-Mart leaves Atascadero at the altar."