Walmart Supercenter At 111 Yale St.

[little frau]

Doubtless, the link to this poll has been crossposted on the anti-Walmart-in-the-Heights Facebook fan club page. All this righteous indignation coming to HAIF to express itself will be good for editor. Hopefully anybody who has something burning within themselves that needs to be said on the subject will read the 600+ posts already written on the topic first before posting.

You are correct, someone has crossposted this site with the stop walmart FB site. They think this site "needs facts" and one person asked if someone can post their "fact sheets on their site" (HAIF).

Also, in reading some of the posts, they don't appreciate anyone showing any opposition to their opposition but then, it is their FB page and they are the antis so I guess they can pick and choose their playmates.

The possibility that anyone posting over there would take the time to read 13 pages of ANYTHING is, in my opinion, remote.

Edited August 11, 2010 by little frau

[Jesse]

God. Do I have to hold your hand? Is it really necessary to use an emoticon to ensure people understand sarcasm? How about this then: [/sarcasm]? That's still considered clever, right?

Yeah, I have to admit it's sometimes difficult to tell when you're being sarcastic, being argumentative, being an ass, or all of the above. /SARCASM.

Of course it's been shelved! Now the city doesn't have to pay a dime for the upgrades since Walmart and Ainbinder are on the hook for it. Now we can use the money for better infrastructure upgrades like light rail or HOV lanes on 288. I don't know how the city will divert the funds, but surely now we can spend it on something a little more worthwhile than a street that's essentially nothing more than a shortcut for Heights residents looking to avoid the train.

Well Walmart/Airbinder are on the hook (assuming their tax deals go through) for the stretch up through I-10, but not north of it. So Heights residents get the shaft on a road that really needs a new surface.

[RedScare]

First of all, I do not claim to be cool or popular. Don't be so nasty, name calling puts your credibility in question, not mine.

I am perfectly aware of what is being offset here. You guys have feeders and streets out where you live off of 1960 or feels like Dallas (your words, not mine) or wherever you are, and so having street work here isn't that out of the ordinary. I pay a lot of tax dollars on my property and we generally have crummy roads and the school I am sending my kid to is sketchy. There are better ways to spend tax dollars than a feeder we never asked for and have lived without happily. That isn't something the city ever had to build. The most roadwork the city pays for in this area seems to be the freeways that get the suburbanites in and out of the city so they can take their paychecks outside of the beltway and enjoy paying low taxes and having better schools. Yeah, we sure are winning the financial war here living in the city. Sarcasm.

I don't see why you have to be so nasty when you don't have a personal interest in this, unless your personal interest is the benefit of Wal-Marts everywhere.

How about me, then? I live in the Heights, and I don't have a problem with this store. I also take issue with your traffic claims, infrastructure claims, and who pays for what. To begin with, the City is not paying for the feeder roads. That is federal stimulus money given to TxDOT. Take it up with TxDOT. Secondly, the 380 agreement would allow the upgrade of Yale, Heights and other streets now that the City doesn't currently have the money to pay for. It is not a tax incentive to build Walmart. It is a reduction in Walmart (or Ainsworth)'s taxes as payback for their rebuilding of our city streets. Think of it as an interest free loan to us taxpayers. Thirdly, what's up with the claim that none of our streets get repaved? Studewood was completely repaved in concrete 3-4 years ago. The big Main Street intersection was also redone. North Main was just completely repaved, including new storm water pipes. More improved storm water pipes were installed in Woodland Heights. The Heights got new water mains a few years back. Beauchamp has been repaved. Harvard between 6th and 11th was redone, as was Courtlandt. 11th Street from Studewood to Heights is about to start. In the future, Arlington, Columbia and Oxford will be repaved, including curb and gutters. We just got a brand new bike trail all the way past that other big box store on Taylor.

Crummy schools? The biggest HISD remodel in the entire district, $40 million, was just completed up the street from me at Reagan High School. Virtually every other school in the area has gotten, or will be, remodeled, as well.

As for rhetorical questions of why Walmart, why here, the answer is because they can. The mayor has already stated that they cannot stop a business from locating in the city just because a small but vocal minority opposes their corporate culture. The Walmart is coming, whether you shop there or not. It really is that simple.

Note to moderators: Hopefully, this post is not considered offensive, even though it contradicts what another poster wrote. There was simply no other way to print the truth without contradicting that poster. No malice was intended. Please don't delete the important parts.

signed, RedScare

[RedScare]

Yeah, I have to admit it's sometimes difficult to tell when you're being sarcastic, being argumentative, being an ass, or all of the above. /SARCASM.

Well Walmart/Airbinder are on the hook (assuming their tax deals go through) for the stretch up through I-10, but not north of it. So Heights residents get the shaft on a road that really needs a new surface.

If Yale north of I-10 is shelved, it is because Heights residents complained too loudly. Don't blame the City. It was our vocal minority that shut it down.

[cumby]

The lot most mentioned is being split into multiple plats - A, B and C with A being the Wal-Mart development.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5E7ocgwEpk8/TFMRfW4YCBI/AAAAAAAAAkI/nY3t8WBST1c/s1600/Replat+-+Koehler+Street+-+1.jpg

Across Yale, there will be three other unrestricted reserves:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5E7ocgwEpk8/TFMT4TWPR8I/AAAAAAAAAkY/GIEywxjelYY/s1600/Koehler+Street+Variance+Overhead.jpg

I can't find the info now, but would love if someone else could fill in the blank...I remember renderings with a second developer who would have space either across Koehler or across Yale.

Bass is planned to be widened to allow traffic from I-10 coming from the West to hit WM/Koehler, but I am assuming traffic from north, south and east would be using Yale or Heights in one way or another because frankly there is not much of a way. Bonner, the street forming the back of the development, is closed because of the train horns and would have been another cut through. Shortcuts from the south may include Patterson and residential side streets like Eigel. Koehler is trying to be widened, as an earlier post confirms, and that has been postponed.

[AtticaFlinch]

First of all, I do not claim to be cool or popular. Don't be so nasty, name calling puts your credibility in question, not mine.

Not reading the first 600 posts before retreading territory that had already been thoroughly explored, mapped and settled is what calls your credibility into question. Frankly, I'm tired of repeating myself to you anti-corporate zealots who feel Walmart is of Satan, so now I'm having a little fun with it. If you want to read my and other people's serious responses, you need look no further than the first ten or so pages of this thread.

I am perfectly aware of what is being offset here. You guys have feeders and streets out where you live off of 1960 or feels like Dallas (your words, not mine) or wherever you are, and so having street work here isn't that out of the ordinary. I pay a lot of tax dollars on my property and we generally have crummy roads and the school I am sending my kid to is sketchy. There are better ways to spend tax dollars than a feeder we never asked for and have lived without happily. That isn't something the city ever had to build. The most roadwork the city pays for in this area seems to be the freeways that get the suburbanites in and out of the city so they can take their paychecks outside of the beltway and enjoy paying low taxes and having better schools. Yeah, we sure are winning the financial war here living in the city. Sarcasm.

Golly. Your neighborhood sounds really crummy, Missus Wilson. Perhaps you should move.

I don't see why you have to be so nasty when you don't have a personal interest in this, unless your personal interest is the benefit of Wal-Marts everywhere.

Can you point me to where I attacked you? I just reread my post, and I don't see it. Perhaps I struck a nerve. I think she doth protest too much.

Yeah, I have to admit it's sometimes difficult to tell when you're being sarcastic, being argumentative, being an ass, or all of the above. /SARCASM.

None of the above. I'm just trying to challenge you to articulate the real reasons you feel like you do. What is it about this Walmart and this location? If Crosstimbers and Silber are both dandy locations to build, then it's not about the politics of the company. If it's not due to inherent racism or classism considering the stereotype of a Walmart customer, then what is it? If it's not about the pretensions of (some) Heights residents and the fact Walmart is generally considered uncool, then what is it? If it's not about the Mom and Pops as so many of you have professed to never leave them for the evil empire, then what's driving your indignation? If it's not about the rape of small town life considering Houston's not a small town, then what motivates your rage? If it's not about the traffic as any development would affect that currently lightly trafficked street, then it still must be something. If it's not about crime increases or property devaluations as both of those claims have been rendered dubious at best, then I must still know what's driving this weird ideological quest behind the opposition. I must know! What's the real story about this Walmart in this location that's set so many of you sensitive Heightians off? If it's none of those things, then there's nothing left to oppose. And if there's nothing left to oppose, then surely you must see some of the positive benefits Walmart can bring to poor people, and how those positive benefits outweigh the nothing supporting the opposition.

Well Walmart/Airbinder are on the hook (assuming their tax deals go through) for the stretch up through I-10, but not north of it. So Heights residents get the shaft on a road that really needs a new surface.

So, if Walmart doesn't pay for the upgrades to the entire road, they're shafting you?

[heights]

I just got a phone call doing a survey about the proposed Walmart. I couldn't really tell from the questions whether it was sponsored by the "pro-Walmart" or "anti-Walmart" movement.

[cumby]

How about me, then? I live in the Heights, and I don't have a problem with this store. I also take issue with your traffic claims, infrastructure claims, and who pays for what. To begin with, the City is not paying for the feeder roads. That is federal stimulus money given to TxDOT. Take it up with TxDOT. Secondly, the 380 agreement would allow the upgrade of Yale, Heights and other streets now that the City doesn't currently have the money to pay for. It is not a tax incentive to build Walmart. It is a reduction in Walmart (or Ainsworth)'s taxes as payback for their rebuilding of our city streets. Think of it as an interest free loan to us taxpayers. Thirdly, what's up with the claim that none of our streets get repaved? Studewood was completely repaved in concrete 3-4 years ago. The big Main Street intersection was also redone. North Main was just completely repaved, including new storm water pipes. More improved storm water pipes were installed in Woodland Heights. The Heights got new water mains a few years back. Beauchamp has been repaved. Harvard between 6th and 11th was redone, as was Courtlandt. 11th Street from Studewood to Heights is about to start. In the future, Arlington, Columbia and Oxford will be repaved, including curb and gutters. We just got a brand new bike trail all the way past that other big box store on Taylor.

Crummy schools? The biggest HISD remodel in the entire district, $40 million, was just completed up the street from me at Reagan High School. Virtually every other school in the area has gotten, or will be, remodeled, as well.

As for rhetorical questions of why Walmart, why here, the answer is because they can. The mayor has already stated that they cannot stop a business from locating in the city just because a small but vocal minority opposes their corporate culture. The Walmart is coming, whether you shop there or not. It really is that simple.

Note to moderators: Hopefully, this post is not considered offensive, even though it contradicts what another poster wrote. There was simply no other way to print the truth without contradicting that poster. No malice was intended. Please don't delete the important parts.

signed, RedScare

Ainbinder, not Ainsworth, FYI. And this isn't just Heights, this is concerning several neighborhoods along the Washington Corridor that use these streets and share resources. You are entitled to want WM, I am entitled to not want it.

Yale's repaving was getting done before WM was announced. That's great all the streets above I-10 got so much attention, but between I-10 and Memorial there leaves much to be desired. You do more to prove AF's point than mine. As for the schools, you have got to be kidding me. I've taught in HISD and just spent the last year researching the elementary level to find one for my kid. Unless you live in the right exact spot or can pass the Vanguard, you're kind of screwed.

My question is why would they want to build it? I am very well aware that they certainly can build it (but your loan comment is like borrowing from the mafia), I just don't understand their "built it and they will come" system.

[RedScare]

Ainbinder, not Ainsworth, FYI. And this isn't just Heights, this is concerning several neighborhoods along the Washington Corridor that use these streets and share resources. You are entitled to want WM, I am entitled to not want it.

Yale's repaving was getting done before WM was announced. That's great all the streets above I-10 got so much attention, but between I-10 and Memorial there leaves much to be desired. You do more to prove AF's point than mine. As for the schools, you have got to be kidding me. I've taught in HISD and just spent the last year researching the elementary level to find one for my kid. Unless you live in the right exact spot or can pass the Vanguard, you're kind of screwed.

My question is why would they want to build it? I am very well aware that they certainly can build it (but your loan comment is like borrowing from the mafia), I just don't understand their "built it and they will come" system.

Thanks for noticing.

As for why Walmart wants to build there and your failure to understand, well, the proof is in the pudding. Walmart is the world's biggest retailer. They clearly know what they are doing.

Oh, by the way, you may want to go back to teaching at HISD. After Walmart builds their 3 inner city stores...2 within HISD...and all likely valued in excess of $20 million...they'll be paying HISD taxes of up to $500,000 or more annually...with no homestead exemption.

[Jesse]

None of the above. I'm just trying to challenge you to articulate the real reasons you feel like you do.

I believe I've made my point clear in several places over the past 615 posts. Please reread them and let me know if I still confuse you.

[dbigtex56]

I've given up on this thread and decided to read War and Peace instead.

It's shorter and the writing is better.

[TheNiche]

RE-POSTED:

I'd like to report four (4!) duplicate threads about a Wal-Mart. We have the one about an invasion of the Heights (it's not in the Heights), we have another for the same information presented differently and without the ability for anyone to make remarks on the subject, we have another where I had to re-post criticism of the duplicate threads because the moderators did not merge the duplicate threads and repeatedly deleted my criticism of the duplicate threads, and we have this thread as a poll.

This is what happens when you set the precedent that duplicate threads are OK is that special interests take advantage. Don't allow yourselves to be co-opted as tools. Merge duplicate threads.

EDIT: This post is my poll. Rep me +1 if you agree.

Edited August 11, 2010 by TheNiche

[Subdude]

Moderator error: merged the "confrontational" Wal-mart topics but the poll got lost in the merging. If you send the options we will be happy to re-insert.

Sub.

[cumby]

Not reading the first 600 posts before retreading territory that had already been thoroughly explored, mapped and settled is what calls your credibility into question. Frankly, I'm tired of repeating myself to you anti-corporate zealots who feel Walmart is of Satan, so now I'm having a little fun with it. If you want to read my and other people's serious responses, you need look no further than the first ten or so pages of this thread.

I've seen that line a couple times before in this thread...just because I didn't agree with you doesn't mean I didn't hear you. You can say it 1000 more times and it still won't be "settled" for me, just like nothing I can say will settle anything for you. If you're tired of repeating yourself, stop repeating yourself. Problem solved.

I get that this has landed in the Heights bin, but it is a larger issue and the people I personally know who are affected by this aren't who you think they are. As others have said, it is okay to fight for your community. It's okay for those who want this to fight for WM too, both have their rights. And if WM can build the fair way without tax handouts, that will be their right, but I think it is fair game to not want tax incentives or rebates. I know it is fun for some of you to poke fun at, but some of us want more for our neighborhood than this particular development. The talk of being afraid of "brown people" is flat out stupid too. I grew up in the Northwest Houston burbs with just a handful of Hispanics, African Americans, etc, and the entire reason I live down here is for the meshing of colors and cultures for me and my family. I don't want my kid to grow up like that, but hanging out at the WM parking lot isn't going to do it either. We don't need a crappy store to interact, they are our friends, neighbors, classmates and coworkers. Come on, now.

Edited August 11, 2010 by cumby

[Jesse]

Moderator error: merged the "confrontational" Wal-mart topics but the poll got lost in the merging. If you send the options we will be happy to re-insert.

Sub.

Doh! I'll PM you the options

/Sent

Edited August 11, 2010 by Jesse

[AtticaFlinch]

I believe I've made my point clear in several places over the past 615 posts. Please reread them and let me know if I still confuse you.

What's confused me is how every point you've made has been refuted using logic, reason and evidence. Your points are nothing more than emotional ramblings, and I'm confused why you continue to make them despite the overwhelming evidence to contradict it.

I've given up on this thread and decided to read War and Peace instead.

It's shorter and the writing is better.

Good call. I need to get back to reading Les Miserables to my infant. I've wasted to much time on this anyhow.

I've seen that line a couple times before in this thread...just because I didn't agree with you doesn't mean I didn't hear you. You can say it 1000 more times and it still won't be "settled" for me, just like nothing I can say will settle anything for you. If you're tired of repeating yourself, stop repeating yourself. Problem solved.

So, what you're saying is, despite the evidence that proves every point you make wrong, you'll still hold onto those beliefs tenaciously and won't ever give them up? Interesting.

[Jesse]

What's confused me is how every point you've made has been refuted using logic, reason and evidence. Your points are nothing more than emotional ramblings, and I'm confused why you continue to make them despite the overwhelming evidence to contradict it.

That is so beyond ridiculous I'm not even going to respond beyond telling you how ridiculous it is. Congratulations, you are officially impossible to have a rational conversation with. Enjoy your new Walmart. Oh, wait - you don't even live in the area! My mistake.

Would anybody else like to discuss WalMart without having their posts hypocritically ripped apart word for word?

[LookyHere]

I don't have any interest in going back and finding the post about this, but I do want to comment on something someone mentioned about the Facebook page. So, a couple of people have joined the group to act out and post pro-Walmart comments. Someone here suggested that these few people (four, at the most by my reading) dilute the group's numbers and the comment was something like "So much for their 4000+ members."

This is symbolic of how ridiculous this whole thread has become. Really? Even if 10% of the Facebook group were "moles or trolls", that would be 490 out of 4900 and change. I mean, I wouldn't even look at those numbers if someone hadn't tried to argue that point. At this time, I check this post about every 3rd day and while there will be a good 10 posts between the last time I read it, it's the same comments over and over again. Yawn.

The only certain "FACT" here is that it's all opinion at this point. What proWalmart people say will happen, what antiWalmart people say will happen. Unless someone here has a magic crystal ball, no one can be certain of what WILL happen. The anti Walmart people, myself among them, are trying to prevent what they fear might happen but no one knows for sure. And none of the "Go Walmart" people can be sure this will be the boon they are saying. It's just your opinion and it doesn't make sense to state what will happen in the future as fact. Only one thing in the future is certain: someday we will all be dead. Until then, your projections, objections and reactions are all just your opinion.

[AtticaFlinch]

That is so beyond ridiculous I'm not even going to respond beyond telling you how ridiculous it is. Congratulations, you are officially impossible to have a rational conversation with. Enjoy your new Walmart. Oh, wait - you don't even live in the area! My mistake.

I'm sorry. After you called me an ass, I figured rational conversation had already ended with you. But, why don't you try responding to me? Is it because you can't? Is it because you realize there is no good rational reason to actually oppose the Walmart? I figure as such, especially as you've now resorted to argumentum ad hominem style illogical arguments.

And, as I've said, I used to live in the area in this Walmart's sphere of influence. I have a personal interest in Montrose and the West End. I wish the Walmart had been there when I lived there. I was a lot less well-off when I lived in Montrose than I am now.

Would anybody else like to discuss WalMart without having their posts hypocritically ripped apart word for word?

Translation: Does anyone want to validate my opinions for me?

Also, point out my hypocrisies if you're going to call me a hypocrite, please. Otherwise, if you can't back up your name-calling, stop calling names.

[LookyHere]

An article released yesterday.

DISCLAIMER: I DID, indeed, get this from the Stop Walmart group BUT it also has some interesting facts for those of you who shop at Walmart to save money. It might be time to head back to Fiesta for your oatmeal and Windex.

An excerpt of the 1st few paragraphs below. If you would like to read it in its entirety: http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/walmart-raises-prices/19587730/

Wal-Mart Stores (WMT), which for years has touted its prowess at lowering prices, has been doing the opposite as it tries to bolster its bottom line amid stagnating sales.

A JPMorgan Chase (JPM) study of a Walmart Supercenter in Virginia found that the world's largest retailer has raised prices by nearly 6% on average over the past six weeks, according to the New York Post. Reuters says it was the biggest sequential increase since JPMorgan started the study in January 2009.

Some Prices Hiked Over 60%

Some of the price hikes were considerably larger. For instance, the price of a 32-ounce bottle of Windex household cleaner jumped 50%, a 12-ounce box of Quaker Oats instant grits climbed 65% and a 50-ounce container of Tide detergent rose by more than 50%. A spokesperson for the Bentonville, Ark., company could not immediately be reached for comment.

The results of the price-hike study aren't entirely surprising. Shares of Wal-Mart, which rose at the height of the recent recession, are down more than 2% this year amid lackluster performance at its U.S. stores, where same-store sales fell 1.1% during the 13 weeks ended April 30. When Wal-Mart announced a revamping of the management team overseeing these stores, including the departures of CEO and President of Wal-Mart U.S. Eduardo Castro-Wright and Chief Merchandising Officer John Fleming, current Wal-Mart U.S. CEO Bill Simon bluntly said, "our mandate is clear: increase customer traffic, make sure our products are relevant to our customer and never give an inch on price leadership."

Unfortunately for Wal-Mart, keeping prices low is tough with less store traffic. To make matters worse, rivals appear to be doing better. Target (TGT) reported a 2% gain in July same-store sales, which are a key metric for retail investors. Kohl's (KSS) reported a 4.1% gain. Wal-Mart stopped releasing monthly same-store sales figures for its units last year, so making an apples-to-apples comparison is difficult.

See full article from DailyFinance: http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/walmart-raises-prices/19587730/?icid=sphere_copyright

[J008]

I wish the Walmart had been there when I lived there.

I can now see where you are coming from, you have conceded that you are spending between $10 and $20k at WalMart. You love Wal Mart ! I would think anyone in your same situation would be right with you. But there are many people in the neighborhood who would simply like to see the neighborhood develop in a different way.

I don't think their preference in asthetics is any less irrational than yours is for sam's choice.

[Jesse]

I'm sorry. After you called me an ass, I figured rational conversation had already ended with you. But, why don't you try responding to me? Is it because you can't? Is it because you realize there is no good rational reason to actually oppose the Walmart? I figure as such, especially as you've now resorted to argumentum ad hominem style illogical arguments.

Draw your own conclusions, connect the dots however you wish. I don't care anymore. Arguing with you has become fruitless and tiresome. You're right, I resorted to name calling. For that I apologize. I hope we can both be more civil from this point on. This will be the last time I quote your posts, and I invite you to do the same.

Now back to the topic at hand.

I do wonder how the traintracks at the Southern end of the property will be dealt with. Especially given a possible increase of traffic (due to Koehler) and the lack of an under/overpass on Heights.

[rsb320]

Is it possible that this Walmart could be stocked from rail freight, rather than by truck?

[AtticaFlinch]

I can now see where you are coming from, you have conceded that you are spending between $10 and $20k at WalMart. You love Wal Mart ! I would think anyone in your same situation would be right with you. But there are many people in the neighborhood who would simply like to see the neighborhood develop in a different way.

I've conceded no such thing. I do now, and have for the past several months, do my grocery shopping at Walmart as I've found it's less expensive than Kroger, Fiesta and HEB on the items for which I shop. This wasn't a luxury I had prior to about four months ago as I lived inside the loop then and didn't have a Walmart nearby. I think I've made it clear the prices are why I shop at Walmart, and that in general, I dislike the company's other policies. My feelings towards Walmart could hardly be called love. Make no mistake, I'm not defending Walmart. I'm defending people's right to shop at Walmart, and I'm defending Walmart's right to build where they please.

I don't think their preference in asthetics is any less irrational than yours is for sam's choice.

So now the opposition is based on aesthetics? Now we're getting somewhere. Now we're getting to the root of the issue. If aesthetics is the problem, don't you think it's a pretty flimsy reason to oppose the Walmart? Don't you think it would be wiser to work with the design firm to ensure it's built in a way that allows it to fit into the neighborhood rather than simply oppose the inevitable structure?

Draw your own conclusions, connect the dots however you wish. I don't care anymore.

This is like debating Glenn Beck. All your rhetoric is based on emotion. When logic is presented to counter your rhetoric, you get weepy, insulting and dismissive. I'll take your unwillingness to debate this with me any further as a sign that you admit you have no good solid reasons to oppose this Walmart.

Arguing with you has become fruitless and tiresome.

This happens when you match logic against emotions in a head-to-head rumble.

You're right, I resorted to name calling. For that I apologize. I hope we can both be more civil from this point on.

Where was I uncivil to you? I think you're confusing your behavior for mine.

This will be the last time I quote your posts, and I invite you to do the same.

I don't agree to this. If you post something else insubstantive, I'll point out your argument's flaws. I encourage you to do the same for me, and everybody for that matter. It does nobody any good to hold onto ideas and preconceptions that have no basis in reality.

Edited August 11, 2010 by AtticaFlinch

[Jesse]

Is it possible that this Walmart could be stocked from rail freight, rather than by truck?

I think that might be difficult. A train coming from the East would block Heights, and a train coming from the West would block Shepherd, Patterson, etc unless it were only a few cars long.

I imagine the goods could come into town via train, but would have to be moved over to trucks for the final stretch.

[J008]

I'm defending Walmart's right to build where they please.

Just as long as it isn't at Teotihuacan.

[Angostura]

I think this is really simple, don't build it. Many in the community have spoken and said they don't want it, why does Wal-Mart want to push the matter? People say it will bring in people from beyond the Heights, but anyone near Airline or near 610 north will have an easier time heading to the new one at Crosstimbers and 45 and anyone in the West End will have an easy time hopping off the roundabout to Westcott and hitting up the new location going in at I-10 and Silber. It isn't like there won't be close Wal-Marts-a-plenty, and Target is there to meet the big box need. We have Fiestas and resale shops and plenty of places that make living here cheap if you want it to be. Come on, now!

A few points that the "why can't people just go to Crosstimbers" argument overlooks:

1 - It's pretty likely that Walmart will design and stock the Crosstimbers store and the West End store differently in order to appeal to the different demographics of the two neighborhoods.

2 - Even though I live north of 20th St, I'm far more likely to be south of I-10 than north of 610. I currently drive past this site several times a week. I'm virtually never near Crosstimbers and 45.

Finally, last time I checked, Walmart's business strategy is not dependent on random message-board posters deciding where to site their stores. I'm pretty sure that the world's largest retailer has some savvy about which locations are appropriate and which are not.

That said, even if siting a Walmart at Yale and Koehler is a terrible business decision, that's not a valid reason for interfering in a private business agreement between the developer and their tenant. In our society, people have a right to make dumb business decisions (as long as they don't come looking for a bailout later).

Sadly, we could benefit from other things being built there that are low impact on the surrounding areas. Residents of this super-area are not opposed to development and anyone in the know is aware that this will never be a park. That said, this can be something that benefits the area and seriously, NO TAX INCENTIVES/ABATEMENTS/380 AGREEMENTS. Those are for encouraging people to build in undesirable areas that need growth. Last I checked, land is still pretty valuable around here. So says my tax bill, anyway.

As much as I'd prefer something else to be built on this site, Walmart was the highest bidder. The only tax incentive I've seen discussed is a possible 380 agreement to reimburse the developer for improvements made to city infrastructure, and they'll most likely be building here with or without a 380 agreement. However, in the absence of zoning regulations, the 380 agreement is pretty much the only leverage the city has to influence the design of the development.

[AtticaFlinch]

Just as long as it isn't at Teotihuacan.

Or any site with cultural or ecological relevance.

Which this site does not have.

As it is, laws are in place to protect our heritage and fragile ecosystems. When development is built on these lands, they either blatantly violate the law or find a way to circumvent the law. Prior to construction on sensitive lands, proper surveys and mitigation (should anything noteworthy be found) must occur. The law already exists, and it exists for good reason. There is no value to the land Walmart wants to build off Yale other than as commercial real estate. Anything remotely close to cultural relevance has already been destroyed in Houston's core long before the laws were ever enacted. In Mexico, they've only recently been enacted, and largely as a response to the Walmart near Teotihuacan. (Hey look, another area where Walmart has inspired positive change!)

If you'll note in the article that I'm pretty sure I posted, Walmart is hardly alone in the practice of destroying sensitive lands. The article noted the Tennessee Titans (our beloved Oilers), the state of Georgia and Whole Foods as doing the same things. Plus, it showed a photo of an Old Navy and a TJ Maxx abutting an Indian mound in Oxford, Alabama. Again, part of why I have no problem spending my money at Walmart is because I recognize the problem isn't just with them. It's the whole system that allows Walmart and Whole Foods and Old Navy and TJ Maxx to exist that's the problem. But I've still got to feed my family, and I still have to clothe my kid, so why should I pay more elsewhere to do it when Walmart is convenient and cheaper and no better and no worse than anywhere else I could spend my cash? It's not as if I can buy Hamburger Helper or toilet paper at the farmers market, plus every one of those I go to always have a very limited selection of goods, and they're always more expensive than I would have anticipated. No thanks.

So you know, I'm going to pick up a couple gallons of milk from Walmart tonight on the way home from work. You know how much I'll pay for each gallon? $1.88, and the price hasn't changed since I started shopping at the Walmart four or five months ago. The store around the corner from my house sells milk for $2.89 per gallon. Either of the two Krogers equidistant from my house sell milk for $2.49. I haven't priced the HEB nearby, as it's really inconvenient to where I live, plus it's one of those giant suburban ones with mostly higher priced items, but if I recall correctly, the HEB off Buffalo Speedway, where I used to do most of my grocery shopping, sold milk for $2.29. My wife and I don't eat out much, so when I say I spend around $500 per month on groceries, it's no exaggeration. And when I say I'm meticulous about price shopping, I don't exaggerate with that either. I'm not above comparison shopping on my Blackberry while standing in the middle of the store, and I'm not above returning things to one store if I find it cheaper elsewhere. We're a one income family in the middle of a recession trying to ensure our dollars stretch as far as possible. And for that, I'm glad a Walmart is close. And if you don't have a need for inexpensive groceries, I applaud you and the strength of your paycheck. But I doubt your situation is the norm. A lot of people are cutting back and tightening their belts, and a Walmart close to them would certainly help their situation.

[AtticaFlinch]

To the guy who negged my previous post, could you please provide some insight as to why you did that? I can't for the life of me find a single thing offensive in the post, so I'm curious if you did it because you've somehow convolutedly associated everything I write with being a pro-Walmart, anti-Heights sentiment. Frankly, I don't think you read the post at all. I think you just reflexively negged me, and if that's the case, I think it's stupid.

Goavs, I'm talking about you.

[LookyHere]

To the guy who negged my previous post, could you please provide some insight as to why you did that? I can't for the life of me find a single thing offensive in the post, so I'm curious if you did it because you've somehow convolutedly associated everything I write with being a pro-Walmart, anti-Heights sentiment. Frankly, I don't think you read the post at all. I think you just reflexively negged me, and if that's the case, I think it's stupid.

Goavs, I'm talking about you.

Honestly, you care about someone liking or disliking your post? Wow! Ha. I always thought those "ratings" were kind of lame. I click here or there, just to see what happens but I certainly never give any real thought to it like "Oh no! I have a negative reputation point on HAIF!" I'm just really surprised. I think calling someone out and asking them to explain why is a little childish. If he doesn't like your comment, he doesn't like it. You certainly dislike plenty of comments but prefer to express yourself through verbosity rather than clicky reputation buttons. No one should have to explain themselves. If he wanted to debate, he would have added comments.

Edited August 12, 2010 by LookyHere