Walmart Supercenter At 111 Yale St.

[Leonard]

And are you being elitist by saying whether or not something is "classless"?  hahahhaa!!!  Something else that makes me laugh. 

[TGM]

Wow, check out for a few days and things get interesting. You would think by all the drama that someone suggested that the Foodarama be moved to 19th street. You know that might be a good idea considering they're local.

Edited June 3, 2013 by TGM

[kylejack]

Yes, I'm sure a lot of people think handicapped people falling over is funny, but what Red said is still not sarcasm even if you think it's funny. 

 

Sarcasm is usually when you say the opposite of what you truly believe for effect. Like "Oh yeah, I'm sure I would have found that hilarious to see a handicapped person falling. :huh:"

So whether or not it was sarcasm, that is for Red to say. Tone doesn't transfer well over the inkernets.

[JJxvi]

No, no. Leonard has come out and stated that it wasn't sarcasm, and that's definitive!

[RedScare]

Yeah, I saw that my post did not load the pic. It isn't as funny without the pic. My apologies.

 

[Leonard]

Thank you JJxvi!

[TGM]

I personally think the sidewalks on I10 are not wide enough. I should have enough room to pass while walking no matter if HPD is running traffic enforcement operations. The Heights got screwed again.

[mako]

You don't really get to decide whether it was sarcasm or not...  nor if it was funny or not.  (this is just another example of an elitist mentality thinking you know what is best for all, and speaking for all without their consent).  I'm sure someone read the comments and chuckled (I didn't). 

 

I do agree that it was classless...  but that ship has long sailed in this thread.

 

Actually,  yes you do get to decide if it was sarcasm or funny...this isn't elitist mentality - it is a fundamental right of civilized society. If we don't speak up for what it right then we descend into chaos & anarchy. Some things are truly right, truly sacred - making fun of handicappedpeople truly decends beyond the pale. I'm sure I'll get heavily burned for this, but frankly I find this antipathy & carelessness for those who have suffered so much already to be truly and heartlessly offensive. I find this specially offensive in regards to our military personnel who are returning from war with cruel & debilitating  injuries. I just returned today from dropping off one of our proud veterans from the VA hospital - frankly Redscare & SilverJK you disgust me!

[RedScare]

Ahh, nice jump to a conclusion, mako. You'll fit in well here. I see that you've been a member all of 3 days, so you don't know the back story to this thread. I wouldn't dare waste any time trying to explain it to you. Your post sounds like you'd rather jump in without knowing anything and begin demagogueing, just like my other two favorite posters. Well, if that is what turns your crank, prepare to be infuriated, because I love nothing more than annoying those who take themselves too seriously.

 

Oh, and welcome to the forum! Be sure to follow me around as I engage in my own delightful brand of sarcasm/non-sarcasm/humor/non-humor/troll/non-troll/baiting/non-baiting. It may not be funny, but it is damned entertaining! Who knows, once you read my more than 13,000 posts, you may actually figure me out...but, I doubt it, as I don't think you'd actually spend the time to get it right before jumping to conclusions. Cuz we all know jumping to conclusions is more fun! Almost as much fun as making fun of cripples!

[fwki]

Or a school bus full of screaming children plunging off the Bridge of Death....that was fun and funny. But getting serious for a bit, what really pisses me off is misdirected, demeaning pity. Even humorless people must steer clear of that insult.

[samagon]

Actually,  yes you do get to decide if it was sarcasm or funny...this isn't elitist mentality - it is a fundamental right of civilized society. If we don't speak up for what it right then we descend into chaos & anarchy. Some things are truly right, truly sacred - making fun of handicappedpeople truly decends beyond the pale. I'm sure I'll get heavily burned for this, but frankly I find this antipathy & carelessness for those who have suffered so much already to be truly and heartlessly offensive. I find this specially offensive in regards to our military personnel who are returning from war with cruel & debilitating  injuries. I just returned today from dropping off one of our proud veterans from the VA hospital - frankly Redscare & SilverJK you disgust me!

 

I can't believe we're still discussing this, but actually, only the author can say his intentions. And he stated it was meant as a sarcastic statement. It may have been so dry it was missed as such, it may have been in poor taste, but what he meant is not up for debate, if he meant it to be sarcastic, then that's what he meant. How you interpret it, that's completely different.

 

Funny is indeed at your own discretion.

 

I had to stop by walmart last night for a cheap radio, which I got, $25 out the door for a pair of speakers attached to a radio tuner, not a bad deal for the garage.

 

It was about 8pm and the parking lot was full, ironically, as I was leaving there was someone crossing the street at the crosswalk, and had ample time to make it across before the lights turned red.

 

Leonard, I did pay attention to how the crosswalk is configured, and while yes, it does cross towards where there are no sidewalk, I still don't see a problem with it. I can point you to a whole slew of other signals in other parts of town that are far worse, even some in town, like downtown. imagine, sidewalks are there, but they are in such disrepair that they cannot be used, and then there are sidewalks which are in perfect health, but stop at the intersection with no crosswalk at all! this is near the basketball arena, can you believe it, a place where walking is promoted as a way to get from your car to the arena and sidewalks and crosswalks are either unsafe, or don't exist? 

 

At least with this walmart I've only ever seen one person walking, and they managed it just fine with only 2 crosswalks.

Edited June 4, 2013 by samagon

[Leonard]

samagon, you had a nice rant about yesterday about how crosswalks should only go to corners with sidewalks.  Now you're fine with it because that's how Ainbinder did it. 

 

Just because you can find something worse, doesn't make something else good - sifting down to the lowest common denominator isn't what the City said it was giving Ainbinder $6M for.  The sales pitch, among other things, was specifically that sidewalks and trees would be better.  They are not.  The sales pitch wasn't "yeah, it's gonna be crap, but there is worse crap out there so keep your whining to yourself." 

 

 

 

[samagon]

samagon, you had a nice rant about yesterday about how crosswalks should only go to corners with sidewalks.  Now you're fine with it because that's how Ainbinder did it. 

 

Just because you can find something worse, doesn't make something else good - sifting down to the lowest common denominator isn't what the City said it was giving Ainbinder $6M for.  The sales pitch, among other things, was specifically that sidewalks and trees would be better.  They are not.  The sales pitch wasn't "yeah, it's gonna be crap, but there is worse crap out there so keep your whining to yourself." 

 

 

Yes, I am fine cause I saw it.

 

Same as you guys ranting about stuff that doesn't matter, except the thing of it is, after seeing the thing laid out, no it isn't nearly as bad as you try to make it out to be. You see, unlike you, I am able to adjust my opinion based on updated facts and seeing things for myself.

 

Obviously you don't understand that, and that's fine, you'll continue to hate.

 

Yes, it could be better, yes, the city could have forced SJ stone to sell some land to walmart (I'd loved to have seen that cause you'd be even more livid).

 

You appear to have phrase and adjective problems.

 

Don't confuse "it could be better" with "it is crap" these are not interchangeable phrases, as they do not mean the same thing.

[Leonard]

Yes, you adjusted your opinion to be fine with whatever Ainbinder/Walmart/Mayor Parker did. 

 

It is crap, and it could be better.  Even your precious precious Ainbinder agrees.  Did you watch Channel 26's video?  Ainbinder isn't finished! 

 

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/22451826/2013/05/29/heights-residents-demand-answers-from-city-leaders

[s3mh]

So, let me make sure I understand this....

 

Because there is no room thanks to making the street being wider, a sidewalk cannot be put in.

 

But, walmart should have put in a sidewalk anyway? On land they don't own?

 

Walmart should have stolen property from another person to build the sidewalk for you so you could complain that they took land from another landowner to build a sidewalk?

 

And then they only put in crosswalks where there are sidewalks? I'm shocked I tell you! Shocked! I am shocked and outraged! I am outraged and shocked! I am outraged!!!! This is preposterous!!! I am preposterously outraged! I am preposterously outraged and shocked!

 

I am glad there wasn't money wasted putting in crosswalks to sidewalks that don't exist which walmart should have put on land it doesn't own.

 

excellent points all around s3mh, as usual.

 

Yale had to be widened in order to put in a left turn lane to serve the development.  That work had to be done per the TIA.  When they did the plans, they forgot to actually go out to the site and look at where the big utility poles were.  They thought that they were going to be able to build a sidewalk on what was left of the ROW after widening Yale.  They built the new road and then learned that there was no room for a sidewalk because of the utility poles.  Then, they just blew off building the sidewalk because the only way to build a sidewalk was to extend the ROW by eminent domain. 

 

If you believe that sidewalks are not needed in an area heavy with retail development, including a retailer that caters to low income folks who use public transportation and walk to shopping, then you hold an opinion that is not shared by the vast majority of the public.  The reality is that the way it works is that the City requires anyone widening a road to build a new sidewalk if the existing sidewalk is demolished by the new road construction.  If there is not enough ROW to rebuild the sidewalk, the developer will have to pay the City to get additional land through eminent domain or change their plans so that there is no need to widen the street.  Ainbinder had a 6 mil head start on building this development.  Getting a thin strip of land by eminent domain for a sidewalk would not have cost more than $200k max (@8x400x$50 to 60).  This would be chicken change compared to the overal cost that taxpayers were shelling out for the improvements.  The developer should have assumed the risk of this kind of cost overrun if the 380 agreement was actually intended to deliver the infrastructure promised.  But, that is not what happened.  No sidewalks were built.  No right turn lane on Yale St.  Inadequate crosswalks on Koehler.  Inadequate tree cover mitigation.  Failure to relocate fire hydrant in the middle of the sidewalk.  Without a 380 agreement, the City would have come down and red tagged all of this and hammered the developer for failing to build according to city standards.  But, with the 380 agreement, the inadequacies become a political liability and are swept under the rug.  The standard goes from getting the best infrastructure with a 380 agreement to "well, sure they screwed up stuff, but shut up.  It isn't a big deal." 

[s3mh]

Leonard, I did pay attention to how the crosswalk is configured, and while yes, it does cross towards where there are no sidewalk, I still don't see a problem with it. I can point you to a whole slew of other signals in other parts of town that are far worse, even some in town, like downtown. imagine, sidewalks are there, but they are in such disrepair that they cannot be used, and then there are sidewalks which are in perfect health, but stop at the intersection with no crosswalk at all! this is near the basketball arena, can you believe it, a place where walking is promoted as a way to get from your car to the arena and sidewalks and crosswalks are either unsafe, or don't exist? 

 

At least with this walmart I've only ever seen one person walking, and they managed it just fine with only 2 crosswalks.

 

Again, if it was the City operating on scarce funds to try to keep up with development, we could understand if corners were cut.  But, the entire justification for the 380 agreement was that it would take care of the needed infrastructure, including sidewalks and crosswalks.  Had the City and the developer told City Council that they were going to blow off a sidewalk, only have two cross walks at an intersection, leave a fire hydrant in the middle of the sidewalk and blow off the tree mitigation, City Council would have never approved the 380 agreement or insisted that it be modified to make funds available to do the extra work needed.  But during debate at City Council, the propnents of the 380 agreement didn't say "this won't fix everything, but that is ok because it will be better than it was before and other parts of town are worse.  People will manage just fine with a below standard development." 

[samagon]

Yes, you adjusted your opinion to be fine with whatever Ainbinder/Walmart/Mayor Parker did. 

 

It is crap, and it could be better.  Even your precious precious Ainbinder agrees.  Did you watch Channel 26's video?  Ainbinder isn't finished! 

 

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/22451826/2013/05/29/heights-residents-demand-answers-from-city-leaders

 

so why is this even being discussed if they are going to do more?

 

oh yeah, cause you hate walmart.

[Leonard]

They are going to do more because people are complaining.  The only item mentioned is getting the fire hydrant out of the sidewalk.  If Isiah Carey hadn't done this report, would Ainbinder be moving the hydrant?  What else are they going to do?  It looks like they have Certificates of Occupancy from the City. 

 

And yes, the more I learn about Walmart, the more I hate Walmart.  But my issue is with the 380.  If Walmart had built without the 380 (which Ainbinder said they would) I wouldn't be discussing Walmart at all. 

 

 

Of course, if it were up to you, they'd be done because you are happy with what your tax dollars are buying. 

[RedScare]

They are going to do more because people are complaining.  The only item mentioned is getting the fire hydrant out of the sidewalk.  If Isiah Carey hadn't done this report, would Ainbinder be moving the hydrant?  What else are they going to do?  It looks like they have Certificates of Occupancy from the City. 

 

And yes, the more I learn about Walmart, the more I hate Walmart.  But my issue is with the 380.  If Walmart had built without the 380 (which Ainbinder said they would) I wouldn't be discussing Walmart at all. 

 

 

Of course, if it were up to you, they'd be done because you are happy with what your tax dollars are buying. 

 

Since the 380 doesn't involve Walmart, you'll pardon us for not believing your statement that you wouldn't be discussing Walmart. The fact is, this is ALL about Walmart. The City pisses away millions of dollars daily. However, you and your RUDE friends have fixated on THIS 380 because it is the closest that you can get to complain about Walmart.

 

Not that I'm upset about it. I enjoy watching the faux outrage that you and s3mh spew. It amuses me. And, I don't mean that sarcastically. You really do amuse me!

[Leonard]

How does the 380 not involve Walmart?  The only thing that has to happen for Ainbinder to get reimbursed is for the Walmart to open.  Not Chase Bank, not Taco Cabana, not Starbucks.  Walmart.  Over half the property tax reimbursement will come from Walmart.  If it has nothing to do with Walmart, why are Walmart's taxes included in the reimbursement?

 

Just because Mayor Parker says it has nothing to do with Walmart doesn't make it so.  She also said it was interest-free.  Also not true. 

 

 

[RedScare]

Walmart gets none of the proceeds. Walmart did not negotiate the deal. Walmart is not the bad guy. Walmart taxes actually pay off the debt. You look measurably worse dragging them into your hatefest.

[Leonard]

What proceeds are you talking about? 

 

Walmart gets the sewer, the water, the turn lanes, the traffic lights.  The trees, the sidewalks.  Walmart gets to make a better deal with Ainbinder because all this stuff is taken care of.  Walmart clearly benefits from the 380. 

[RedScare]

Ainbinder and the City did the deal. Your hatred of Walmart makes you look petty in attempting to blame them.

 

Hence, my amusement.

[Leonard]

Your premise that Walmart wasn't involved in the negotiations amuses me. 

[samagon]

They are going to do more because people are complaining.  The only item mentioned is getting the fire hydrant out of the sidewalk.  If Isiah Carey hadn't done this report, would Ainbinder be moving the hydrant?  What else are they going to do?  It looks like they have Certificates of Occupancy from the City. 

 

And yes, the more I learn about Walmart, the more I hate Walmart.  But my issue is with the 380.  If Walmart had built without the 380 (which Ainbinder said they would) I wouldn't be discussing Walmart at all. 

 

 

Of course, if it were up to you, they'd be done because you are happy with what your tax dollars are buying. 

 

you continue to put words in my mouth as if you know what I think. Here's what I think: I think what you should do is read and comprehend more and post and put words in other people's mouths less.

[Leonard]

"Yes, I am fine cause I saw it."  - samagon.  Sorry I misinterpreted that.  Thought it meant you were fine with it.  I would love to hear your issues with the development. 

[samagon]

"Yes, I am fine cause I saw it."  - samagon.  Sorry I misinterpreted that.  

 

I am too, cause that in no way means "you are happy with what your tax dollars are buying." - Leonard.

 

As stated, I have no issues with it, the definition of fine is "very well, or satisfactory".

 

Satisfactory would be my grade, if you want my opinion.

Edited June 4, 2013 by samagon

[Leonard]

Seriously, I would love to hear in what ways you are unhappy with how your tax dollars were spent via the Ainbinder 380. 

[samagon]

Seriously, I would love to hear in what ways you are unhappy with how your tax dollars were spent via the Ainbinder 380. 

 

I am neither happy, nor unhappy, why is that so hard to understand? 

 

I am satisfied.

[Leonard]

Sorry, my bad. Let me rephrase that:

Of course, if it were up to you, they'd be done because you are SATISFIED with what your tax dollars are buying.