If Richard is right, we are in trouble.

On July 18, Richard Rider predicted North County will benefit from the city of San Diego discouraging establishment of more superstores ( "Wal-Mart ban could help North County"). Our benefit is that we will be blessed with the extra Wal-Marts San Diego would have built if the city had behaved responsibly -- that is, "responsibly" in Mr. Rider's opinion.

Should responsible homeowners resist Wal-Mart moving in as a neighbor? This is more than an academic exercise for residents of the Terraces at Sunny Creek. Our development is located on the southwest corner of the intersection of El Camino Real and College in Carlsbad.

The vacant lot across College from us has long been scheduled to become a desirable mall with restaurants, boutiques and an anchor. The site was owned until recently by 4-Square Properties. Residents of our community take an active interest in that vacant site, particularly since part of it is supposed to be a dedicated RV parking lot for us. The exact terms of the agreements are complex, but our CC&Rs plainly describe our private, locked and secure RV lot on that site. On at least two occasions, the president and vice president of 4-Square (Jeffrey Vitek and Erich Grosse, respectively) responded to invitations to address our homeowner meetings. They assured us they are local boys and want to build a desirable, family-oriented shopping mall. They displayed nice drawings showing walkways, picturesque architecture and our secure RV lot. Construction starts in August of whichever year the question is asked.

Years passed with no action.

Imagine our dismay when an active member of our community confirmed a rumor that the lot had been sold to an unnamed entity. She also discovered that entity is Wal-Mart. The site is big enough for a superstore and its parking lot.

Richard Rider lists three classes who object to Wal-Marts: unions, NIMBYs and businesses seeking to stifle competition. We oppose constructing a Wal-Mart across the street from our house. We are not a union, and we are not a business. So Mr. Rider labels us NIMBYs. That is shallow. He omitted a big fourth class: homeowners protecting their investments and quality of life.

We have done our homework. You can do the same without leaving home. Do a Google search on "Wal-Mart crime" or "Wal-Mart housing values." You will be flooded with reports describing dramatic increases in crimes in neighborhoods near a Wal-Mart and 30 percent decreases in property values in the immediate vicinity. We found no reports claiming decreases in crime or increases in property values. (Example: http://www.walmartcrimereport.com/report.pdf)

How many Wal-Marts are needed? When we go to the Wal-Mart Web site and enter our ZIP code, we find five Wal-Marts within a 10-mile radius. Sorry, Richard, your simple argument about bringing cheaper goods to people and sales tax revenues to cities is far too simplistic. Stop Wal-Mart.

Patricia E. Mehan is president of the Terraces at Sunny Creek Community Association, a 170-unit community in Carlsbad.

Related story: Wal-Mart buys lot in Carlsbad