Charlevoix has recently begun to contend with the prospect of urban sprawl. Following the construction of a K-mart plaza development in the 1990s, many businesses and the post office moved to this area. There was significant controversy in the 1990s over the decision to extend water pipes into rural farmland south of Charlevoix in order to build a new Charlevoix High School. In the early 2000s, Charlevoix, led by Green Party Drain Commissioner JoAnne Beemon, successfully fought off a bid by Walmart to open a store along this new water pipeline on the south edge of town.