Attendees of a Tuesday joint Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing on Walmart's proposed West Wareham location echoed concerns about traffic and the environmental impact of the store voiced at previous meetings on the topic.

Walmart representatives have cited the desire to offer a full line of groceries at the proposed 152,124-square-foot facility at the corner of Tobey Road and Cranberry Highway. Despite owning its current building on Cranberry Highway in East Wareham, Walmart is prohibited from expanding its grocery business in that location by a deed restriction connected to its participation in a shopping center with Stop & Shop.

Traffic was a common concern among residents. Sheila Monaghan lives in one of the 226 mobile homes of Great Hill Estates, and said the Walmart project would be an impediment to the one-driveway community.

Planning Board Chair George Barrett said that traffic has already been taken into consideration and it will be a well-reviewed topic when Walmart's proposal is voted on. The boards have researched all intersections that the new store could potentially impact, including Main Street, Tobey Road, and Cranberry Highway, he said.

The environmental impact the project would have on the surrounding land was also discussed. Malcolm Phinney noted that 20 acres of natural habitat would be destroyed, and asked the Walmart reps if they were doing anything about that.

Walmart representatives responded that some locations, primarily on the West Coast in California and in Hawaii, were using solar power to produce electricity in an effort to lessen the impact on the environment. This would also be a consideration for the proposed West Wareham Walmart location.

Perhaps the most memorable comment of the night came from resident John Assad.

"You are terrorists," Assad said, referring to the five Walmart representatives sitting at the front of the room. He said the company has a history of destroying local businesses and employing people at unfair wages.

But Assad's sentiment was not shared by everyone at the meeting. Stan Matthews, a Wareham native, said the Walmart move would open up employment opportunities and increase tax revenue. Others agreed with Matthews, saying the new store would increase the opportunity for people to get jobs in the current downed economy.

Future public hearings on Walmart's proposal will be scheduled. The project will need to be approved by the zoning and planning boards, the Board of Selectmen, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Transportation, and Mass Highway.