Walmart Supercenter At 111 Yale St.

[RedScare]

Or when people do not understand the reality of how the world works, they construct their own reality that works for them and call people names who disagree with them. The 6 mi infrastructure tax deal was part of Ainbinder's deal with Walmart. Walmart would not have paid the massive premium they paid for the land if they weren't getting the roads and drainage paid for by the taxpayers. The 380 is repaid from real property and ad velorum taxes generated by Walmart. To believe that Walmart is not a major beneficiary of the 380 agreement is to blindly accept form over substance. Without the 380 agreement, Walmart would have had to bear the cost of the infrastructure improvements, either directly or indirectly through higher per square foot cost passing on the expense from the developer.

Why do you do this to yourself? You continually contradict yourself, displaying a staggering level of ignorance. You state that Walmart paid a "massive premium" for the land, premised on the infrastructure improvements. If the infrastructure improvements were not provided, the "massive premium" for the land would not have been paid, but perhaps Walmart would have paid for the infrastructure improvements. In other words, Walmart would either pay to improve infrastructure, or they would pay a higher price for the land to Ainbinder. Walmart paid either way.

If anyone benefitted, it was Ainbinder. But, since your ire is with Walmart, you post contradictory statements hoping no one notices. Well, we do.

Or when people do not understand the reality of how the world works, they construct their own reality...

Possibly the most ironic post in this very long thread.

I'm still wondering why you think the City should rebuild the bridge when the State is going to do so. Sounds very fiscally irresponsible to me. Now, if what you really want is to shut the bridge down in some misguided belief that it will hurt the world's largest retailer, as opposed to Heights residents, knock yourself out. RUDE already has a reputation for not acting in the best interests of the neighborhood. This would cement that reputation for good. Not that I would mind.

[RedScare]

RUDH wants the bridge closed, which might hurt the Walmart as the bridge won't be replaced for 4-5 years.

I am curious whether you believe any of this statement, kylejack. Do you believe that the City or State would shut down Yale Street for 4 to 5 years before replacing the bridge? Do you believe that the world's largest retailer will be hurt by closing the bridge when access from Washington, Heights and I-10 will be unaffected, or only require a 200 foot detour to Heights Blvd?

[samagon]

I am curious whether you believe any of this statement, kylejack. Do you believe that the City or State would shut down Yale Street for 4 to 5 years before replacing the bridge? Do you believe that the world's largest retailer will be hurt by closing the bridge when access from Washington, Heights and I-10 will be unaffected, or only require a 200 foot detour to Heights Blvd?

or the nightmare of RUDH, it would force Walmart customers to drive down Patterson to Koehler.

perhaps they are going to get it shut down by all going out there and jumping up and down on the bridge at the same time to get it to collapse under their weight?

here's an article about the bridge that is poised to invade the bayou:

http://www.khou.com/home/School-bus-trucks-crossing-Yale-St-bridge-illegally-176675061.html

Edited November 1, 2012 by samagon

[kylejack]

I am curious whether you believe any of this statement, kylejack. Do you believe that the City or State would shut down Yale Street for 4 to 5 years before replacing the bridge?

DOT has already confirmed they will if it falls below a certain rating, so sure.

Do you believe that the world's largest retailer will be hurt by closing the bridge when access from Washington, Heights and I-10 will be unaffected, or only require a 200 foot detour to Heights Blvd?

If you've got a lot of people having to detour to get to the store, yeah, it could result in some lost business, especially for people in a hurry. Seems like there's a lot of these lately.

[RedScare]

Interesting that you believe that the City and State would close a bridge on a major thoroughfare for 4 to 5 years, and that no one would make any effort to expedite reconstruction of the bridge. I expect that sort of knee jerk comment from another poster on this thread, but I've always thought you didn't fall for far-fetched scenarios.

Let's be blunt. Neither the City nor the State will allow that bridge to be close for 4 years before they begin reconstruction. If it needed to be shut down, they would declare it an emergency, move it to the top of their project list, and rebuild it immediately. Further, city leaders would twist arms to make sure that happened. As for Walmart losing business, it would be negligible. Even people in a hurry could negotiate the 200 foot detour to Heights Blvd in a matter of seconds. Besides, Walmart shoppers, not being as self-important as high end shoppers (they shop at Walmart afterall), are a little more patient and understanding than say, those who oppose Walmarts. A 200 foot detour will not deter Walmart shoppers. Besides, once people know the bridge is closed, they will simply detour through the West End neighborhood before they get to Yale. Problem solved.

[RedScare]

On a related note, I just received a text from Verizon advising that their new store at 215 Heights is open! Woo Hoo!

[fwki]

Play a mind game and believe the engineers and believe that the City's efforts to limit heavy traffic are mostly effective. In that situation, the bridge will remaIn open safely until the funds are available 4 or 5 years from now. The engineers say that the bridge is safe and will remain safe for that time under current usage patterns. Without limiting heavy vehicles the bridge was more likely to become unsafe prior to funding possibly leading to an early shut down. The City is avoiding that outcome by downgrading and policing the bridge.

Now back to the real world. RUDH is harassing city officials about miscreant drivers, and officials respond by making dumass public statements about school buses full of kids plunging into the ravine. Earth to two-letter Bradford, over, Red's sketch was just a joke! The bridge will not collapse under the weight of a school bus! RUDH is playing politics and you! Stop taking their calls and reading their email! RUDH thinks they can play ball with WalMart, but they cannot! All they can do is make the majority of Heights residents miserable by turning you into Chicken Little! Do not let them! Save us from these people and tell RUDH to STFU about the bridge!

Edited November 1, 2012 by fwki

[kylejack]

Play a mind game and believe the engineers and believe that the City's efforts to limit heavy traffic are mostly effective. In that situation, the bridge will remaIn open safely until the funds are available 4 or 5 years from now. The engineers say that the bridge is safe and will remain safe for that time under current usage patterns.

Engineers said that the bridge will last 5 years under current usage patterns? Can you provide your source, please? This 5 year guarantee is news to me.

[s3mh]

Interesting that you believe that the City and State would close a bridge on a major thoroughfare for 4 to 5 years, and that no one would make any effort to expedite reconstruction of the bridge. I expect that sort of knee jerk comment from another poster on this thread, but I've always thought you didn't fall for far-fetched scenarios.

Let's be blunt. Neither the City nor the State will allow that bridge to be close for 4 years before they begin reconstruction. If it needed to be shut down, they would declare it an emergency, move it to the top of their project list, and rebuild it immediately. Further, city leaders would twist arms to make sure that happened. As for Walmart losing business, it would be negligible. Even people in a hurry could negotiate the 200 foot detour to Heights Blvd in a matter of seconds. Besides, Walmart shoppers, not being as self-important as high end shoppers (they shop at Walmart afterall), are a little more patient and understanding than say, those who oppose Walmarts. A 200 foot detour will not deter Walmart shoppers. Besides, once people know the bridge is closed, they will simply detour through the West End neighborhood before they get to Yale. Problem solved.

The city has promised that the will make repairs that will allow the bridge to stay open until 2016. 2016 is the emergency funding scenario. There is no way to get funding and construction moved up any sooner because there is an alternate route.

If you think Walmart will do fine, you have never dealt with road closures near a business. I have handled that issue a number of times with TxDOT. When their is a temporary loss of access due to road construct, TxDOT pays compensation. But, when the loss of access is only partial, they do not pay. I have had businesses with a partial loss of access put together numbers on their sales just to see whether TxDOT would be sympathetic. Partial loss of access creates real loses for businesses. People are very quick to go elsewhere when traffic is an issue. If you shut down the Yale St. bridge, you will have major traffic issues. Just look at what losing two lanes on Shep has done to traffic. All the reason more that this should have been handled before everything got built. If something moves forward at the SJ Stone site, they will at least be doing heavy construction when the bridge is being rebuilt, if not be open for business with additional traffic. There are even rumors that someone is looking at developing the NW corner of Yale and I-10. All this talk about 380 agreements providing the needed infrastructure was BS. It was about shifting the development's costs to the public (like the purchase of City and utility ROW to be surrendered to the development). The real needed infrastructure was ignored in the hopes that it would get paid for with Federal/State funds so the developer would get their gravy. Of course, the funds are not going to get here until traffic is completely impossible. So, not only does the community have to subsidize the development with a tax giveaway, they also have to bear the brunt of a major traffic disruption by the failure to timely upgrade the bridge.

[JJxvi]

Well, I know that if they didn't say it, it must mean it won't be safe in 5 years.

[RedScare]

The city has promised that the will make repairs that will allow the bridge to stay open until 2016. 2016 is the emergency funding scenario. There is no way to get funding and construction moved up any sooner because there is an alternate route.

OK, so if the bridge gets shut down early, it will be the fault of you and RUDE. You will have AWP blood on your hands! You will not be able to blame anyone else for this, as only you and RUDE are stirring the pot.

I will make sure everyone knows who is responsible.

[fwki]

Engineers said that the bridge will last 5 years under current usage patterns? Can you provide your source, please? This 5 year guarantee is news to me.

Ok kj, playing mind games is difficult for some, but I will try to explain. The City gives us this http://www.houstontx.gov/citizensnet/YaleBridgeFurtherReduced092712.html and the Feds give us this http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-107publ56/pdf/PLAW-107publ56.pdf . The reason we get generalizations only from the City Public Works is because our gift from the Feds (Patriot Act) makes it AGAINST FEDERAL LAW for public servant engineers to give specifics on the conditon of any infrastructure. Don't believe me? Try and get Texas DoT inspection results on anything......then prepare for the knock on the door. KHOU gives us this http://www.khou.com/news/School-bus-trucks-crossing-Yale-St-bridge-illegally-176675061.html and I quote "A Houston public works spokesman said load limits on the bridge exist to extend its life. He also said there is no cause for alarm as long as drivers follow the rules."

Fill in the blanks with the mind game, but the gaps are no leap of faith, just watch what they do....the plan is to replace the bridge in late 2016 and keep an eye on it until then, no reason to panic, no reason to harass the City, leave that to the professional whiners in RUDH.

[RedScare]

If you think Walmart will do fine, you have never dealt with road closures near a business.

Other than road closures in front of my own business (which, though a bit smaller than Walmart, survived), I suppose not.

[kylejack]

KHOU gives us this http://www.khou.com/...-176675061.html and I quote "A Houston public works spokesman said load limits on the bridge exist to extend its life. He also said there is no cause for alarm as long as drivers follow the rules."

Fill in the blanks with the mind game, but the gaps are no leap of faith, just watch what they do....the plan is to replace the bridge in late 2016 and keep an eye on it until then, no reason to panic, no reason to harass the City, leave that to the professional whiners in RUDH.

No, I don't think your evidence says what you think it says. I think the authorities have said they intend to do periodic inspections to ensure continued safety of usage of the bridge. They're not making any warranty on it lasting the full five years and none of the evidence says otherwise.

Maybe it will and maybe it won't. That's the point of the ongoing inspections.

[fwki]

No, I don't think your evidence says what you think it says. I think the authorities have said they intend to do periodic inspections to ensure continued safety of usage of the bridge. They're not making any warranty on it lasting the full five years and none of the evidence says otherwise.

Maybe it will and maybe it won't. That's the point of the ongoing inspections.

Who's talking about evidence? The Feds took care of that option. Who's talking guarantees and warranties besides you? I hate to quote myself but...."Play a mind game and believe the engineers and believe that the City's efforts to limit heavy traffic are mostly effective. " The point of the ongoing inspections is multifold, but what is the point of RUDH's bellyaching? To denigrate the good citizens of our neighborhood? That's all they are accomplishing.

[kylejack]

Who's talking about evidence? The Feds took care of that option. Who's talking guarantees and warranties besides you?

The engineers say that the bridge is safe and will remain safe for that time [5 years] under current usage patterns.

You say that they say, but you won't quote where they say it. I checked your links and none of them have the engineers saying the bridge is safe and will remain safe for 5 years.

[fwki]

You say that they say, but you won't quote where they say it. I checked your links and none of them have the engineers saying the bridge is safe and will remain safe for 5 years.

Ok, I was referring to Houston Public Works said "A Houston public works spokesman said load limits on the bridge exist to extend its life. He also said there is no cause for alarm as long as drivers follow the rules."

They cannot give specifics due to federal law, so fill in the blanks, ergo the mind game. Play semantics all you wish, but you seem unable play the game because you choose to believe RUDH instead of the city...pick your poison. Throw-in with the whiners and see if you can cause a political closure to really cement RUDH's rep around here.

[RedScare]

I kinda look at it this way. If you don't want to ride your bike on the bridge, there is another bridge 200 feet away. Me, I'm a risk taker. Plus, I come from a family of engineers. I know what the engineers are saying. So, I have no problem driving my pickup across the bridge until they replace it.

See, that was easy.

[luciaphile]

Besides, Walmart shoppers, not being as self-important as high end shoppers (they shop at Walmart afterall), are a little more patient and understanding than say, those who oppose Walmarts.

Except when they are not:

http://www.nytimes.c...wanted=all&_r=0

One need not read it all the way through to know they must have been driven mad with hunger. Same thing with the fracas over the $2 waffle irons:

http://www.huffingto..._n_1113293.html

Give a man a cheap teflon waffle iron, and teach him to beat egg whites to stiff peaks, then gently fold them in with the other ingredients -- he'll never be hungry again. This looks bad:

http://edition.cnn.c...ents/index.html

... but again, the virtuous poor were made "desperate" by retailers and their tricks, according to the psychologist. And I think in 2012 we can all agree to define the Four Freedoms upward to include freedom from: wanting the latest game console and not having it.

[RedScare]

Ah, but behavior prior to arriving at Walmart is far different than the behavior once inside. Just look at the Galleria. Soothing music and conversations in lowered voices inside the expensive stores with Italian names, but outside, the Lexus and Mercedes drivers will run you down if you dare cross the driveway in front of them. Walmart is quite the opposite. They drive slowly to the store in their '97 Ford pickups and Chevy Malibus, but once inside, will beat you within an inch of your life for the $2 waffle iron.

Don't know why that is. But, we're still talking about a 200 foot detour. Some of these posters are trying to make it into the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. And me? I'm just egging it on. Few things are as amusing as the faux outrage generated in trying to make an old bridge the fault of Walmart.

[kylejack]

Don't know why that is. But, we're still talking about a 200 foot detour. Some of these posters are trying to make it into the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Pretty sure I just said that it will have some negative effect for Walmart, and even a dollar of lost profit is probably gravy for RUDH who can write angry letters to the City and DOT for free.

[samagon]

They have a $2 waffle iron at Walmart?

*submits post and runs out the door*

[luciaphile]

They have a $2 waffle iron at Walmart?

*submits post and runs out the door*

I'm afraid that was a yuletide loss leader, Samagon.

... the Lexus and Mercedes drivers will run you down if you dare cross the driveway in front of them. Walmart is quite the opposite. They drive slowly to the store in their '97 Ford pickups and Chevy Malibus, but once inside, will beat you within an inch of your life for the $2 waffle iron.

Don't know why that is. But, we're still talking about a 200 foot detour. Some of these posters are trying to make it into the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. And me? I'm just egging it on. Few things are as amusing as the faux outrage generated in trying to make an old bridge the fault of Walmart.

Well, my hands are clean. I neither drive a Lexus nor need a waffle iron. I already have one. It was a wedding present to my parents in 1961. There's a picture of the gifts laid out on card tables covered with a white damask tablecloth, so the bride's mother's friends could come by and admire them -- a quaintly aspirational middle-class custom, obsolete, because, all evidence to the contrary, we no longer care about stuff.

It turns out a good waffle. I recently scrubbed the irons and reseasoned them in the oven, though, and I think that was a mistake: it actually worked better with 50 years' worth of crud.

I admit, my fellow travelers haters Wal-mart disdainers disappoint me with their fixation on the least distinguished aspect of the situation. Guys, ya gotta represent!

[fwki]

1.Denial —"This can't be happening, not to me. That’s actually a mixed-use old folks’ home on Yale"

2.Anger — "Why me? It's not fair! Who is to blame?; It’s the dang City, er, dang Airbinger, er, dang 420 agreement, um, dang people with cars….”

3.Bargaining — "If Walmart will just admit they broke the bridge and fix it, just exactly how we want it, with caliper trees and all, then we’ll move on to Eme’s Place, eventually.

4.Depression — "I'm so sad, why bother driving on Yale for anything?"; "I'm going to die soon so what's the point?"; "I miss that ole steel mill."

5.Acceptance — "It's going to be okay."; "I can't fight it, I may as well go get that 2$ waffle iron."

[s3mh]

I couldn't resist and went to the new Walmart on Sunday afternoon. My first impression was "where is everyone?" For a store that is located as centrally as any Walmart in Houston, the crowds were more like a Walmart way out in the burbs. I got a rough count of 180-190 cars in the parking lot. (I went on to Whole Foods and got a rough count of 150-60 cars in the parking lot for a store that is a quarter of the size) I know it has only been open a short amount of time, but when the Waugh Dr. Whole Foods and Dunlavy HEB opened, you had to beat someone with a stick to get a parking space the first few weeks (I have not even tried going back to Trader Joes yet, though that is more an issue of a grossly inadequate parking lot). Sure, it is just anecdotal evidence and I will have to go back in a few weeks and compare, but I think my original observation that this Walmart was nothing more than a corporate power play to drain market share from Target and Kroger seems to be on the mark. With tepid crowds like that, Walmart will be operating the store at a loss for years given the extremely high cost of the land. But, when you are the largest retailer in the world your largesse gives you the ability to take a big loss at one store in order to try to beat back gains your competitor has made in the market.

As for the store, it is really a lesson in how little you can spend on fixtures and design in a store without confusing customers into thinking that they have walked into the warehouse. All the stacks have the exact same placard holders for price specials. There is almost no difference in design between any area of the consumer goods, except for electronics and clothes. It is just very bleak everywhere. Target feels like Neimans by comparison.

All the claims from Walmart that this would be some "unique new urban design" are just BS. It is a box filled with stuff for people to buy. Tall shelves everywhere. The claim that the store would have an expanded selection of organics was also BS. I counted 7 organic selections in all of the produce department (two were carrots). They were all from the same producer. The price competitiveness was surprisingly bad. They had a big special on red grapes for $1.98 a lb. Whole Foods had nice holliday grapes on sale for $1.99 a lb. Generally, prices were the same as Kroger and HEB on most items. When there was a difference, it was maybe 10-12 cents less on a sale item. But, then there were a few items where Walmart was considerably more expensive. I say my favorite kitty litter was $2.00 more than Kroger and Target. Flouride mouthwash was almost a $1.00 more than Kroger. So, unless you are crazy price conscious, any little savings you get here and there at Walmart can be completely wiped out by items that are not priced competitively. Thus, the claim that Walmart helps out poor folk with their low prices is demonstrably false. Walmart doesn't do anything for poor folks except transfer the few bucks they have for essentials into profits for shareholders.

I guess if there is a silver lining, it may be that the traffic from the store isn't that bad (although I am sure it will surge at xmas) because it just wasn't needed for the area. But that is not much of a silver lining considering that 6 mil in tax dollars were wasted on this thing when the developer and Walmart could have paid their own way and considering that a mixed use development would have done so much more for the area.

[TGM]

I couldn't resist and went to the new Walmart on Sunday afternoon. My first impression was "where is everyone?" For a store that is located as centrally as any Walmart in Houston, the crowds were more like a Walmart way out in the burbs.

S3mh,

This could be the due to a phenomenon unknown to those inside RUDH. The lower classes gather to watch gladiators performing feats of strength in a steel coliseum. These mighty warriors attract a raucous crowd which paints itself with tradition pagan markings while consuming copious amounts of fermented refreshments. To the uninformed, it might appear that massive bloodshed is to occur, but somehow they are more concerned with moving a leather ball across a large green meadow. It's rather fascinating to observe the amusements of the masses. I believe you may have witnessed the impact that such a game had on the local community market.

Edited November 5, 2012 by TGM

[RedScare]

I couldn't resist and went to the new Walmart on Sunday afternoon. My first impression was "where is everyone?" For a store that is located as centrally as any Walmart in Houston, the crowds were more like a Walmart way out in the burbs. I got a rough count of 180-190 cars in the parking lot. (I went on to Whole Foods and got a rough count of 150-60 cars in the parking lot for a store that is a quarter of the size) I know it has only been open a short amount of time, but when the Waugh Dr. Whole Foods and Dunlavy HEB opened, you had to beat someone with a stick to get a parking space the first few weeks (I have not even tried going back to Trader Joes yet, though that is more an issue of a grossly inadequate parking lot). Sure, it is just anecdotal evidence and I will have to go back in a few weeks and compare, but I think my original observation that this Walmart was nothing more than a corporate power play to drain market share from Target and Kroger seems to be on the mark. With tepid crowds like that, Walmart will be operating the store at a loss for years given the extremely high cost of the land. But, when you are the largest retailer in the world your largesse gives you the ability to take a big loss at one store in order to try to beat back gains your competitor has made in the market.

As for the store, it is really a lesson in how little you can spend on fixtures and design in a store without confusing customers into thinking that they have walked into the warehouse. All the stacks have the exact same placard holders for price specials. There is almost no difference in design between any area of the consumer goods, except for electronics and clothes. It is just very bleak everywhere. Target feels like Neimans by comparison.

All the claims from Walmart that this would be some "unique new urban design" are just BS. It is a box filled with stuff for people to buy. Tall shelves everywhere. The claim that the store would have an expanded selection of organics was also BS. I counted 7 organic selections in all of the produce department (two were carrots). They were all from the same producer. The price competitiveness was surprisingly bad. They had a big special on red grapes for $1.98 a lb. Whole Foods had nice holliday grapes on sale for $1.99 a lb. Generally, prices were the same as Kroger and HEB on most items. When there was a difference, it was maybe 10-12 cents less on a sale item. But, then there were a few items where Walmart was considerably more expensive. I say my favorite kitty litter was $2.00 more than Kroger and Target. Flouride mouthwash was almost a $1.00 more than Kroger. So, unless you are crazy price conscious, any little savings you get here and there at Walmart can be completely wiped out by items that are not priced competitively. Thus, the claim that Walmart helps out poor folk with their low prices is demonstrably false. Walmart doesn't do anything for poor folks except transfer the few bucks they have for essentials into profits for shareholders.

I guess if there is a silver lining, it may be that the traffic from the store isn't that bad (although I am sure it will surge at xmas) because it just wasn't needed for the area. But that is not much of a silver lining considering that 6 mil in tax dollars were wasted on this thing when the developer and Walmart could have paid their own way and considering that a mixed use development would have done so much more for the area.

Translation: All that complaining was for naught.

The dissing of the design accoutrements of a big box store is hilarious. No one goes to Walmart for the architecture. Most of us do not go to Target, Kroger or Whole Foods for architectural flourishes, either. We go there to buy stuff. And, we understand that fancy architectural design features simply add to the costs of the items we buy. Maybe cat owners need things like that, but the rest of don't. As for low price/high price comparisons, welcome to American consumer shopping. Every store has loss leaders, except for Whole Foods, where every item is priced too high. Tell us something new.

On a side note, as I predicted, the shoppers at Party Kroger are smokin' hot. Since the grumpy Heights people stay away, this Kroger has quickly become my favorite for people watching. The staff is nicer, too.

Your posts are still hilarious, however. Keep it up.

[kylejack]

I don't know about architecture, but I definitely like the measures Montrose HEB took to integrate with the neighborhood. The landscaping is a nice touch, and I love the awesome bike rack.

[fwki]

I don't know about architecture, but I definitely like the measures Montrose HEB took to integrate with the neighborhood. The landscaping is a nice touch, and I love the awesome bike rack.

I like that HEB also, just wish it was closer. That store is in the heart of a long-time residential area, similar to our soon-to-be-gone Fiesta on Studewood, so at least it has something with which to integrate. On the other hand, Party Kay Roger has to integrate with existing industrial and Wally World has to integrate with endless townhomage (once and future ghetto), brownfield conversion retail and Fred Flintstone's job site.

[kylejack]

Are we really going with Party Kroger, I think it needs a better name, but anyway, it does have a bike rack. A lame bike rack in an out of the way place, but a bike rack nonetheless. No such luck at the Walmart.